After The Battle
by Katrina S. Forest
Summary: The Star Seeds allow the senshi to be reborn again and again. But what happens when that power finally runs dry? Sailor Cosmos and the other Sailors are able to live on as spirits in Crystal Tokyo, but why have Endymion and the Knights disappeared?
1. Prolouge

**After the Battle by Katrina Kadabra**

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. All characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any original characters inserted by myself and others. 

Rating: PG 

Summary: The Sailor Star Seeds allow the senshi to be reborn again and again. But what happens when that power finally runs dry? It is now the era of Lady Serenity, and the children of the Sailor senshi are longing for answers as to why their parents disappeared... 

Warnings: Contains spoilers from the StarS manga. If you have not read Sailor StarS through to the end, read the prologue more carefully, since it contains much of the information you'll need to know. Pairings in this story include: Usagi/Mamoru, Chibiusa/Helios, Ami/Urawa (Greg), Rei/Yuuichiro (Chad), Minako/Asai (Jamie), Makoto/Shinozaki (Ken), Hotaru/Elias (new character), Setsuna/Hallen (new character), Haruka/Taylor (new character), and Michiru/Nathan (new character.) 

Credits: The author wishes to thank the following people for their wonderful character creations and allowing me to use their characters in this story: Ribo, Otakugirl_au, JK Secret, Burban83, and Krystal Earth. I hope the story is everything you wanted it to be. 

* * *

**Prolouge** __

_A long time ago, I was a soldier known as Sailor Moon. I fought alongside my allies to protect my beloved planet from any evil invaders.___

_Time after time we were victorious. Though it seemed like every time, our enemies powers grew a little bit stronger. Until finally one day, there came an enemy I could not defeat on my own. That was Sailor Chaos.___

_Chaos was a wretched being, full of rage and hate for everybody. At first, he did his work through Sailor Galaxia, who sought to capture the most powerful star in the galaxy for herself. But when Galaxia no longer became useful to him, Chaos threw her to the side as well. I was led to battle with Chaos at the Galaxy Cauldron by Galaxia. That place in the galaxy from which all stars are born.___

_I almost lost everything in that battle. Each of my friends had been burned to dust before my eyes, only to be reborn as ghosts controlled by Galaxia's will, then hurled with their precious Star Seeds into the blackness that was the Galaxy Cauldron. Even my love, my precious Endymion, was gone in a single brief flash. I thought all hope was lost at that moment, my reason to fight was gone. But then I was visited by someone I never expected. My future self, in the form of a small child, came to me. Her name was Chibi Chibi.___

_I soon learned that Chaos had bonded with the Cauldron. Because of this, Chibi Chibi told me that I should destroy the Cauldron, there while I had the chance. I could end it all, stop the suffering I had seen so many times. But I couldn't do it. I guess I was just weak. But even if I had done it, the future would be the same. If this Cauldron was destroyed, another would be born somewhere. No one could destroy the place where stars were born.___

_So I gave everything, my all there. I called upon the power of my friends. Though I had heard their sorrowed cries as their bodies were reduced to nothing, and seen their Star Seeds melt into the sea of the giant cauldron, still I knew I could always call on their strength. No, there would not be an end to the fighting. It would go on for as long as stars shined. I gave every drop of energy in my spirit to forcing Chaos down, to trap him in the Cauldron for all eternity.___

_And I held my own. At the last moment, I felt my body being snapped away from the darkness. I was alive. And as look around me to see that my dreams had come true. My friends stood by my side. And my precious Endymion, he was there as well. Oh, how wonderful it felt to be held in his arms again. All I wanted to do was hold him, caress him, and tell him never to leave my side again. My friends celebrated my happiness, as they always had. We were together - we had each other once more.___

_At that moment, a new figure appeared to us. A small fairy, who introduced herself as the guardian of the Galaxy Cauldron. And she offered us a choice... do we throw ourselves into the Cauldron and start a new star's history? Or do we wish to live as we are? As we are, was my answer. No matter how tough this life, I want to live it. Together with my love and my precious friends. We will always pull through. The guardian seemed to agree and with a nod of her head, her staff glowed with power, surrounding us with a bright light, sending us to the future, to Crystal Tokyo.___

_And yes, after that, we experienced a time of peace. My beloved Endymion and I were wed that same night. As we kissed, I felt a warm feeling, a new star soon to be born. My daughter, Small Lady Serenity. It did not occur to me at this time, intoxicated as I was with pure happiness, that soon each of my friends would share in this joy, of being wed, of settling down to a family of their own, after all our hard battles. Nor would I have reasoned that not long after that, everything would come crashing down.___

-Sailor Cosmos   
  
  



	2. Chapter 1

**After the Battle by Katrina Kadabra******

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. All characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any original characters inserted by myself and others.___

_Rating: PG___

_Summary: The Sailor Star Seeds allow the senshi to be reborn again and again. But what happens when that power finally runs dry? It is now the era of Lady Serenity, and the children of the Sailor senshi are longing for answers as to why their parents disappeared...___

_Author's Notes: For those who haven't read the manga, the Amazoness Quartet is not totally evil and they actually become the guardians of Chibi Moon. They are put to sleep until she becomes "a real lady," which for the purposes of this fanfic, I chose to be now. ^_^_   


* * *

**Chapter 1**

"And so, shortly being crowned the rulers of Crystal Tokyo, Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion were faced with yet another crisis, the invasion of the Black Moon. Which, as all of you should know if you did your reading last night, ended in a successful defeat due to Sailor Moon traveling from the past with the aid of Pluto of Small Lady..." 

It was mid afternoon in 40th century Tokyo and the young sailor princes and princesses sat in their classroom, paying more or less very close attention to the lesson that Sailor Ceres was giving them. As future guardians of their planets, it was their responsibility to develop a well-rounded education, at least so said King Helios and Lady Serenity. It was the Asterroid senshi that the new queen had chosen to educate the young monarchs after their parents had passed away. 

One of the children, a taller girl with ash blonde hair done up in a rough ponytail, scribbled down a message on a piece of scrap paper. Quietly as she could, she folded the paper and passed it to the girl in front of her, a child with dark brown hair and eyes to match. Seeing the note, she immediately took it and read to herself: 

_ Hey Reika!_

_ Want to do for some ice cream after this BORING class is over?_

_ -Kasami_

Reika giggled and began to write a reply, but suddenly a shadow passed over her paper. She glanced up warily to see rather irritated Sailor Ceres standing over her. 

"Passing notes again in class, princess Mars?" she asked. Her classmates giggled and Ceres took the note away, crinkling it up in her hand. Kasami stuck out her tongue while Ceres had her back turned, but that too seemed to go less than successful. 

"I saw that, princess Uranus." More giggles from the class and Ceres sighed. "Honestly from what Lady Serenity tells me, your mothers were both excellent students, but somehow I don't think they passed it on to either of you." 

"Our mommy was the smartest," interceded a smaller child, this one with excited blue eyes and short curly green hair. A young man behind her with straight white hair that came to his shoulders bent down and whispered in her ear, 

"Michiko, I told you not to keep calling out. If you do that again, you can't come to class with me anymore." Michiko looked shocked. Her big brother only used her full name was he was very serious. 

"I'm sorry, Akio-chan. I'm sorry," she said. 

"It's okay, Michi," he replied, reassuring he was not angry with her. 

"Well, Sailor Neptune was very intelligent..." said Ceres, hoping she could in someway tie this series of interruptions and wayward conversation back to her history lesson. "But it was Sailor Mercury who first used..." A hand shot up in the first row. Ceres sighed. 

"Yes, Anzino?" 

"Why do we have to learn all this stuff?" she asked. "I wanna learn more about gardening. And how to host a proper tea ceremony. I think a princess should know those sorts of things." Ceres groaned. Here they went on this conversation again. And the princess of Jupiter was usually the quiet one. 

"That's Juno's department," she explained as calmly as she could. "I'm here to teach you history." Anzino nodded, seeming to be satisfied with that, but then the Mars princess started in again: 

"Why do we need to know history?" she asked, enunciating the last word like it was a fatal curse. 

"Okay, that's it!" said Ceres, slamming her hands on the desk. A sudden hush fell over the room. Ceres looked up a bit embarrassed, before she went on. 

"How about this?" she suggested. "Instead of hearing a history lesson from me, why don't we go speak to the ones who were actually there during all these events?" The children all looked curiously at each other. Did Ceres mean...? 

"Marie," Ceres said, speaking to a small blue-haired child who sat in the far left row. "Fetch me the keys to the shrine, will you?" The Merciuan princess nodded and did as she was told. 

Ceres led the group out the single-room school building and down the marble sidewalk towards a large crystal building. But gorgeous as it appeared, this place was not the palace. It served a much more important purpose than that. 

Ceres fit the key into the oversized lock on the front doors, which swing open loudly to reveal the crystalline building's sole entrance. Marie stepped back nervously, but Ceres beckoned her onward, so she followed, along with her classmates. The inside of the was a little dark and maybe even a bit cold. The group gathered together closely to see what Ceres would do next. 

Across the room lay eight stone pillars, four on the left side and four on the right. Each one was small, perhaps about four feet high and a foot and a half across. And in the middle was a golden staff, a sphere adorned with two wings, embedded in the ground. 

"The shrine to the guardian senshi..." Reika whispered. 

"We haven't been here since Princess Saturn's coronation," Anzino pointed out. 

Ceres said nothing, but walked up and knelt in front of the staff, as she were addressing a royal monarch, only no one was there. She then held up her pink energy ball, the source of her power, and released it. The ball remained suspended in mid-air. 

"Sailor Cosmos, please appear before us," she whispered. The children all looked curiously at each other, especially the younger ones, whose last visit here was still only vague in their minds. Sailor Cosmos? It couldn't be. Yet, at Ceres' words, the staff left forth a warm white glow and from this light stepped a small fairy-like figure. Her beauty was undeniable, a kind expression with bright blue eyes, full of love and compassion for everyone. Her long white hair was done up in two heart-shaped buns. She looked over towards the person who had summoned her and smiled warmly. 

"It has been a while, Sailor Ceres," she said. 

"Yes, your majesty, Sailor Cosmos," Ceres replied. 

"Don't call me 'your majesty' anymore," said Cosmos. "My daughter Lady Serenity is your queen now." 

"Of course," said Ceres with a polite smile. "But I can't help but speak with respect to the one that defeated Chaos." 

More gasps from the children. Chaos was a being they had only heard small bits of information about, mostly from Marie who read ahead in the books Ceres had given them. And the rumor surrounding him was shrouded in mystery and evil power. 

"Cosmos… you defeated Sailor Chaos?" Reika asked in shock. 

"I told you," said Marie matter-of-factly. 

"But how did you defeat him?" Akio asked. "And how did it become Crystal Millennium?" 

"My my, so full of questions," said Cosmos, unable to repress a small giggle. "I suppose Ceres has taught you well." At this, Ceres beamed, and Cosmos continued, "But I'm afraid I can't tell a story like that without the help of my friends." She held out her hand towards the four stone pillars surrounding her to the right. "Please wake up everyone." At Cosmos' words, each pillar began to emit a soft glow, each its own color. 

From each of the pillars on the left arose a cloud of mist, blue from the first, red from the second, green from the third, and orange from the fourth. But these clouds did not stay shapeless for long. Each one seemed to form the body of a woman, a ghost which had given up her body, but still managed to thrive enough on some unseen energy to take on the appearance of her old self. They were Cosmos' old allies, the sprits of the inner senshi. 

The first girl, the blue one sitting on the pillar closest to Cosmos, had a kind and intelligent face. 

"Hello, Usagi," she said. 

"Hello, Ami," she replied. Michi looked up curiously. 

"U-sa-gi?" she asked, trying to repeat the strange syllables as best she could. 

"That was my earth name," Cosmos explained. She then turned to the opposite side, where the other four pillars lay and at Cosmos' command, from these merged the former queens of Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn in a similar fashion, first as nothing more than a cloud of mist, but then transforming into the familiar figures Cosmos had known so well. 

"It's been a while," yawned Haruka as she stretched out her arms. She then glanced down at the children standing and looking up at her wide-eyed as they could be. "Ah, I see you brought the kittens with you." 

"Kittens?" Kasami asked, turning her nose up. 

"Oh, stop teasing them Haruka," said Setsuna. "After all, we should be welcoming them. It's not like we get to see our children that often." 

"That's right," Rei chimed in. "You keep that up and they won't ever come to see us." At this, the group of them began to giggle, a sound that warmed Cosmos' heart, reminding her of those times so long ago when all of them were simply innocent high school students. 

The moment, though pleasant with the aura of reunion, was also stagnant with the sense of loss. While the older children were mature enough to understand exactly why it was their mothers had to live this way, the younger ones had yet to fully comprehend it. 

"Mama... can't I hug you?" Michi asked, walking up to the shrine of the water senshi. Michiru looked down at her innocent daughter, eyes on the verge of tears. 

"I'm sorry, my angel, but you know you can't," she said, trying to keep a smile. "Our bodies were lost to the Cauldron seven years ago, we only survive now in this shrine because of Cosmos' power." She tried to explain the scenario as rationally as she knew how, but it only seemed to make things worse. 

"But I miss you..." Michi said. Seeing it was only making his mother more upset, Akio reached over and picked up his younger sister, holding her close. 

"Perhaps this isn't the best time," he said. 

"Don't talk like that," said Makoto. "You children are the most precious things to us. Even if we can't touch you, we want to be a part of your lives." 

"I know! Why doesn't Cosmos tell a story?" Minako suggested, trying to lighten the mood. "That's what you came for anyway, wasn't it?" Ceres nodded. 

"Yes, we wanted to hear about the battle with Chaos and the birth of this new millennium." 

Cosmos nodded. "It's true this brings back a lot of sad memories, but it brings a lot of happy ones too..." She looked over the faces of the children standing before her, so full of life an innocence, a desire to grow and learn. And hear of a past that even Cosmos could not hide forever. "Very well," she said at last. "I will tell you everything." 


	3. Chapter 2

**After the Battle by Katrina Kadabra**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. All characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any original characters inserted by myself and others.___

_Rating: PG___

_Summary: The Sailor Star Seeds allow the senshi to be reborn again and again. But what happens when that power finally runs dry? It is now the era of Lady Serenity, and the children of the Sailor senshi are longing for answers as to why their parents disappeared...___

_Author's Notes: I used a mix of Japanese and English names for the inner knights based on what I thought people were familar with. Just in case, Yuuichiro is Chad, and Urawa is Greg. For those of you who are solely familar with the Japanese names, Jamie is Asai and Ken is Shinozaki. The outer knights are all original characters; Taylor and Nathan both made appearances in my previous fanfics, for those caring to read the details on how they met Haruka and Michiru. I haven't quite gotten to writing a story on Hallen or Elias yet. Sorry to anyone who doesn't like any of the pairings, but the children had to come from somewhere, so I tried to pick the most likely guys from the series to fit the parts. Anyways, enjoy!_   


* * *

**Chapter 2**

"You know well of my final battle as Sailor Moon, and my awakening in 30th century Tokyo, where I fought against the forces of the Black Moon. But what you may not know is that Chaos was never fully defeated. And at the time of my greatest happiness, he returned to wreak havoc on everything I held dear. 

"Following the defeat of Black Moon, we had returned to a time of peace and prosperity. Shortly after my daughter Chibiusa was born, my friends began to settle down as well. We were pleased to learn that not only had my sweet Endymion come with me to the 30th century, but their knights had traveled through time to be with them as well." 

"First there was Urawa, Mercury's intellectual sweetheart, who also possessed some psychic ability as well. Yuuichirou, ever at Mars' side, carefree but deeply devoted and loyal. Jamie, Venus' companion from all those times she spent playing volleyball, a romance which budded quickly, to our happiness. And Ken, Makoto's friend since childhood, who had always stood beside her during the hard times when others had abandoned her. Yes, they had all proved themselves full of love and compassion. And in this day and age, they were reborn not only as their lovers, but their protectors as well, the knights sworn to guard the re-awakened princesses until such time that they took their proper places as queens of their respective planets. Of course, I get ahead of myself. They were not the first ones to be wed." 

"Also reborn in this time were the knights of the outer planets, Taylor, Nathan, Hallen, and Elias. Haruka and Michiru were proposed to in the same evening. And less than a year later, they were wed to their knights on the same day, symbolizing their strong bond of friendship. The ceremony was lovely, and it was soon to be followed by the wedding of Setsuna and her love Hallen." 

"The outer senshi and their new husbands all resided in a large palace to the west of my own. Young princess Saturn lived with them as well, almost as an adoptive daughter to the group of them, at least until she was old enough to be on her own." 

"It was then that the inner senshi were wed to their knights as well. I believe Ami came first, followed by Minako, Rei, and Makoto. Words cannot describe my happiness at finally seeing all of my friends experiencing this wonderful nectar called marriage that until recently, I had been the only one to taste of. Every morning I woke up next to Endymion, watching the beams of sunlight dancing upon his face, it was as if joy itself had intertwined with my heart." 

"It was soon afterwards we received word of Helios' return. And of course, my young daughter, who had already traveled back and forth to the 20th century, was overjoyed to see him. The two were at each other's side constantly, and it warmed my spirit to see Chibiusa finally found a companion here in Crystal Tokyo." 

"After that... that's when things got interesting." 

"What do you mean by interesting?" Venus asked, interrupting Cosmos' talk. 

"That's around the time you children were conceived," said Ami, though she wished she hadn't said it. 

"What's 'conceived' mean?" Marie wanted to know. 

"Umm..." Ami thought over quickly how on earth she was going to reply to that question. 

"Born," said Makoto simply. "It means born." Ami looked skeptically over towards her friend, but was not about to try and correct her. 

Cosmos sighed. She wanted to continue on with her tale, but she was drawing closer and closer to that one event she did not know if she could retell. Stories of happy times in the past were all well and good, but when it came to explaining to the children exactly how it was their mothers came to live in this state, and more importantly, the mysterious fate of their fathers... Cosmos wasn't quite sure if she had the strength to tell them that. 

Suddenly, Cosmos fell forward, almost collapsing onto the stone floor, clinging to her staff for support. 

"Your highness?" Ceres gasped. Murmurs of worry and concern circulated around the room. 

"I'm fine," Cosmos assured her, getting back to her feet. "My energy is just a bit weak." 

"You should rest," said Akio. "You can tell us the rest of the story another time." 

"No..." Cosmos began, but angry glares from her friends told her she shouldn't object. "Very well," she sighed. "We'll see you again another time." The children all nodded and waved their good-byes. After they were gone and the door was shut, Cosmos retreated back to her staff, her fairy-like body changing to a white mist to match those of her friends. 

"Geez..." Makoto sighed. "It seems like every time we awaken, the time we can spend like this is less and less." 

"It's not surprising," said Setsuna. "After all, Cosmos is sustaining all of our life forces with her power. And that can be exhausting." 

Haruka crossed her arms and sighed. "Well, I don't like it," she said. "This waiting here. Our bodies are destroyed, there's nothing left for us. What's the point in us lingering on like this? We can't even leave the shrine!" 

"You hush!" Minako scolded. "Don't forget we're doing this for our children! That's what we sacrificed everything for, wasn't it? We don't need to hear your complaining now." She narrowed her eyes. "Or are you forgetting that it's only because of Cosmos' power that we're still here?" 

Haruka was shocked by Minako's sharp reply. The child of love and beauty was usually the more calm and compassionate one. And Haruka did not take her words lightly. She turned and bowed to Cosmos. "I'm sorry, my queen," she said. 

"It's alright, Haruka," Cosmos replied. "I don't blame you for your anxiousness. You were always a free-running spirit. This cold confined place doesn't suit you at all. Though I should say," she continued, her voice suddenly soft and concerned. "I'm a bit worried about how things have turned out so far." 

"What do you mean?" Rei inquired. 

"I mean," said Cosmos. "That my power was absorbed into the Cauldron just as yours was. My energy is weak; it should not have sustained us so long." There was a sudden hush over the group. 

"Don't put yourself down, Your Highness," Setsuna said. "Your power is very strong - it has always been there for us. You should never doubt it." 

"That's right," Makoto chimed in. "You just didn't realize your own power, that's all. Every battle has been like that." 

"I suppose..." Cosmos mused. "But it still makes me wonder."   
  
  



	4. Chapter 3

**After the Battle by Katrina Kadabra**

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. All characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any original characters inserted by myself and others. 

Rating: PG 

Summary: The Sailor Star Seeds allow the senshi to be reborn again and again. But what happens when that power finally runs dry? It is now the era of Lady Serenity, and the children of the Sailor senshi are longing for answers as to why their parents disappeared... 

Author's Notes: More of this story can be found on my website. 

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The children walked the barely-worn path back from the shine in almost total silence. Most of the them were either somewhat in awe, others a bit heavy with sadness. And why shouldn't they be, Ceres asked herself, as she started to wonder whether or not she had done the right thing by taking the children to that place. Granted it had given them some new insights, and allowed to visit their mothers, something they hadn't done in a long time, it still left a hard impact on everyone. That and the simple fact that Ceres had never asked permission to go to the shrine in the first place. That was always something they were to run by Lady Serenity first. Of course, the queen had never said they couldn't go there if it was for education, but still... 

"Look!" Marie suddenly shouted, breaking the silence. "The others are here!" Everyone looked up to see Sailor Juno walking up a path that intersected with their own, and behind her were six young men and women, dressed in sports uniform. Ceres greeted the group with a wave of her hand and Michi finally let go of the grip on her brother's hand to go running up to them. 

"Shiro! Ryou! Mai! Hoshi! Kaiya! Sakura!" she yelled. Kasami had to giggle. 

"Well, after all, that is her normal class," she pointed out to Akio. "You just brought here today so she could be with you." Kasami stepped in and picked up Akio's hand where Michi had left. Akio's face turned bright red. 

"Aw, look at the love birds!" Reika teased, walking alongside them. 

"Don't read into it," Akio muttered. He had given up on trying to break Kasami's crush of him a while ago. Besides, she could be cute in her own way. As they walked, the two groups finally met with each other. Michi was riding on the shoulders of a young man with dark eyes and short rough hair that matched perfectly. He was a bit taller than the others, which Michi asserted as she straightened herself up to look taller. 

"Ryou carries me," she bragged. Reika turned her nose up. 

"You spoil her rotten, and she's not even your sister," she muttered. 

"Come on, Sis, you got too heavy for this ages ago." 

"What the heck does that mean!" 

While Reika and her brother engaged in their ususal one-sided argument, Anzino and Marie, walked up to the rest of the group. One of them, a young man with sharp eyes and blue hair was also sporting a girl on his shoulders, a redhead with a playful but shy persona, who gripped tightly to her carrier's deep blue hair, just in case he lost his grip. 

"Hello Shiro, Sakura," said Marie, speaking to the young man and his passanger respectively. 

"Hello Marie," she said. 

"Hi, Sis," Shiro chimed in. "How was class?" 

"Different," Marie admitted. "How was yours?" 

"It was great!" another girl in the group interceded, this one with long blonde hair done up with two little red bows. "We played basketball today, and I totally aced it! Guess I got some skills from my mom, huh?" Anzino looked confused. 

"But I thought your mom played volleyball," she pointed out. The girl sweatdropped just a bit. 

"Well, it's pretty much the same thing." Everyone giggled. 

"I don't think my mama played sports," said Sakura as Shiro set her down on the ground. "She wasn't very strong. But she could heal people." 

"Oh, that reminds me!" Anzino said, a bit loudly, which was unusual for her. "We saw Saturn... and the others today." 

"What?" Suddenly everyone in the group was silent, even Reika. Everyone turned around to stare at Anzino. 

"Was I not supposed to say that?" the child of Jupiter asked quietly. 

Juno glared angrily over at Ceres. 

"You took them to the shrine?" she asked in disbelief. "Did you ask Lady Serenity?" 

"Well, no, it was kind of a spontaneous thing..." Ceres admitted. At that, the conversation started up again furiously, everyone in Juno's class asking tons of questions of those in Ceres class. It was all the same for the children. Visits to the shrine were rare, and if someone had been there more recently than they had, they wanted to know about it. Meanwhile, Ceres was trying desperately to explain herself to Juno, who was still harping on her for doing such a foolish thing without asking permission. 

"What if Lady Serenity finds out?" she finally demanded. Ceres was about to answer that she hoped that wouldn't happen, but suddenly an all-too-familiar voice behind her interrupted that thought. 

"What if I find out about what?" 

Ceres and Juno whirled around to see a lovely young woman with long pink hair down to her ankles, accompanied by her noble husband, a gentle man with flowing white hair just above his shoulders and what appeared to be a gem on his forehead. And alongside the two monarchs stood Sailor Pallas and Sailor Vesta, the remaining two of the Asteroid senshi. 

"Your majesties...." Ceres gulped, trying to bow and be polite, even though she knew she was in for it now. Lady Serenity could be harsh even when she was a child. All the more so now that she was an adult. 

"What's this about you taking your class into the shrine?" the woman demanded. "Without even asking?" 

"I'm sorry, Lady Serenity," Ceres spilled out. "But they were just so anxious, and weren't paying attention to the lesson at all, and they hadn't seen their mothers in a long time, and..." 

"And just how do you think the others feel?" Serenity interrupted. "Awakening the senshi takes a lot of energy, and now they may not be able to visit again for months." 

"If I may offer..." said a the quiet voice of a young man, stepping. 

His demeanor was mature and composed, his deep green hair done up in a small braid, his deep red eyes contrasting to his darker skin and reminding Serenity far too well of the image of his mother. 

"Hoshi," she said quietly. 

"I may not have been able to visit my mother or the others," he said calmly. "But if I may say, I think it did the others good to see them. There'll be a time where our class can visit on our own, I'm sure. But in the meantime, please don't reprimand Ceres." 

Ceres looked shocked; she had not expected Pluto's son to speak up for her. And it seemed he was not the only one. At that moment, a young lady who looked remarkably like Hoshi, walked up and took hold of his arm. This girl had lighter skin, but the same dark green hair and ruby eyes. 

"I agree with my brother," she said. "Even though I really did want to go too. I'm sure we'll get a chance." 

Serenity rubbed her forehead. "It's not just you, Kaiya," she said. "I know I'm supposed to be the queen, but that doesn't mean I don't miss my parents as much as the rest of you do." She turned and found herself in Helios' embrace. "I won't get angry with you this time, Ceres," she said quietly. "Only, please, ask my permission next time before you do something like that, okay?" 

"Yes, ma'am," Ceres said, bowing again. Pallas and Vesta watched in shock, not quite sure what else to do. Without a word, Serenity motioned their dismissal and took hold of Helios' arm. "Let's go," she said and with that, they began to walk the path back towards the palace. 

As they walked, the new queen couldn't help but wonder if she had perhaps been too harsh with her friend. She was, after all, only trying to teach the children in the best way she saw fit. That was what her "Lady Serenity" had told her to do, wasn't it? Still, the young monarch's heart still felt the pain of losing those closest to her. And other like the other children, she had to hide it under the guise of being a happy and peaceful ruler. And she hated. 

The queen retired to bed early that night, her husband accompanying her. She had eaten lightly at dinner that night, he hoped he was feeling all right. Serenity insisted she was fine, and after tending to the two small cradles on the opposite side of the room, she turned off the light, rubbed her face into her pillow and fell asleep, slowly drifting off into a dream.   
  



	5. Chapter 4

**After the Battle by Katrina Kadabra**

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. All characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any original characters inserted by myself and others. 

Rating: PG 

Summary: The Sailor Star Seeds allow the senshi to be reborn again and again. But what happens when that power finally runs dry? It is now the era of Lady Serenity, and the children of the Sailor senshi are longing for answers as to why their parents disappeared... 

Author's Notes: More of this story can be found on my website. (See my profile.) 

* * *

**Chapter 4**

It was little more than a decade after the era of peace had begun. The final battle with Chaos had been won, and all the Sailor Senshi and their knights were wed and settled into their new family lives. Even Hotaru, who had just given birth to young Sakura, and was given a palace of her own. Everything was happy peaceful, and amidst all this bliss, ruled Sailor Cosmos. No longer Neo Queen Serenity, she had awakened in her ultimate form during the battle with Chaos. And with the powers she had received from the Silver Imperium Crystal, she was able to retain this form and ruled over the new century with peace and love. Yes, everything was perfect... until the day Cosmos received an unexpected visitor. 

The visitor was small in size, barely coming up past Cosmos' knees. But she was able to suspend herself in midair, her dress appeared to be made of minute blue bubbles, which her long white hair somehow seemed to melt into. Cosmos recognized this fairy immediately. Eos, Guardian of the Galaxy Cauldron. 

"Eos?" Cosmos asked in shock. "What are you doing here?" 

Eos bowed politely to the queen, her face full of sorrow and worry, an expression that would soon bring itself to Cosmos' face if she couldn't discover the cause for this visit. For Eos to leave her post... it must have been an emergency. 

"Queen Cosmos," said the fairy, bowing low. She came to her point right away. "I'm sorry, but I must ask your help. The Galaxy Cauldron... is collapsing." 

"Collapsing?" Cosmos asked in shock. That couldn't be. Not ten years later. Not after everything she had done to save the Cauldron, and rid it of Chaos' evil presence. "But how?" she demanded to know. The fairy sighed then, as if she had already prepared an explanation, began to speak, 

"You see, while Chaos was bonded the Cauldron, he built it up with evil energy from the inside. The Cauldron began to swell and grow on his power. And then you, Cosmos, were able to force Chaos out of the Cauldron forever and finally defeat him in that legendary battle." 

"I know about the battle, I was there after all, wasn't I?" Cosmos asked, rather impatient. "But what's happening now?" 

"The Cauldron was unable to handle this sudden shift in energy, the loss of Chaos' power left it suddenly empty and deprived. Chaos had dwelt there for so long, the Cauldron had forgotten how to survive on its own power. It is dying, Sailor Cosmos. And once it does..." 

"Stars will no longer be born." Cosmos finished. She knew far too well what that meant. Chibiusa, her child. And the children of her friends. They would be the last generation of senshi, the last life of their planets, if the Cauldron were allowed to collapse. And then what had they fought for? All those battles that Sailor Moon and her allies had gone though. They had always fought for the future... they would not stop now. 

"Eos..." said Cosmos calmly. "What can I do to save the Cauldron?" The fairy smiled with relief. 

"The Cauldron needs an enormous amount of positive energy to revive after all the negative energy Chaos poured into it," she explained. "Only then will it be restored to its normal state." 

Cosmos listened, clutching the crystal at her chest. Its power had led her through countless battles, it would lead her through this one as well. She stood up, ready to follow the fairy, but Eos was not quite ready to lead. 

"I think you misunderstand the strength of the Cauldron, if you're thinking of heading off alone," she said. "It needs vast energy, and I fear your power may not be enough. And if the Cauldron cannot find enough power, it will suck away the very life energy you hold in your body, in the Silver Crystal." She looked sternly at Cosmos. "To avoid this, you must gather as much power as possible. I suggest you call your allies for support." 

Cosmos sighed. She didn't want to burden her friends with this. Saturn and Neptune... they had both just given birth only weeks ago. Their bodies were not prepared to handle this. She would call on the others, they would help her. And the knights as well. Surely that would be enough power, she thought. Surely. 

* * *

"So you see..." Cosmos explained. "There is no way to save the future without going to the Galaxy Cauldron and pouring our energy into it. Once we do that, the Caulrdon will be restored to normal, and the future will be safe." Endymion walked up and placed his hand on Cosmos' shoulder. She had known from the start he would accompany her, it was foolish to think otherwise. The Sailor Senshi all looked at each other; there was no need to exchange words to arrive at their decision. 

"You can count on us," said Minako confidently. "Cosmos, Usagi-chan, whatever it is we need to do, we'll do it." The others nodded in agreement. Setsuna, however, looked disconcerted. 

"The Cauldron is huge," she said. "The power to restore it will not come easily." 

"I know," Cosmos answered. "Eos told me... um, a few times." She smiled, trying to make a bit of light of the situation. Setsuna returned the gesture, taking hold of her Garnet Rod. 

"I'm coming with you," said Michiru standing up, but her tomboyish comrade quickly turned and motioned for her to sit back down. 

"There's no way," she said. "Michiru, you're too weak. You have to stay here." 

"Don't try to stop me, Haruka, I am going. You might need my power." Haruka glanced over at Nathan, with a look that begged, "Tell her she can't do this," but the knight of Neptune only shrugged his shoulders. 

"If Michiru's made up her mind, you know nothing I say is going to stop her." Haruka threw up her arms with an exasperated sigh. 

"Don't forget me," said Hotaru, standing up weakly. 

"Now, you are staying," said Michiru firmly. "Sakura is barely a week old, you're not ready for a battle." 

"Aren't you in a bad position to be saying that?" Haruka asked quietly, but Michiru ignored her. Despite the fact that Hotaru was an adult and fully independent, Michiru still thought of herself as Hotaru's adoptive mother, and she would not let her daughter run off into a ridiculous battle like this so soon after delivery. It just wasn't going to happen. 

"I'm not five years old anymore," Hotaru said sternly, as if reading Michiru's thoughts. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Elias?" she asked, turning to see her husband standing faithfully at her side. 

"Don't worry about Hotaru," he assured Michiru. "I'll go with her to inform the princess of what's happened, then we will follow if you need us. You should go now to protect the Cauldron before it's too late." 

"Chibiusa..." Cosmos whispered. "She'll want to come with us as well." 

"We can't allow that," said Urawa, standing up. "The princess is our future. If anything happens to us, she'll be the one to carry on." Cosmos turned her face to the ground. 

"Yes, that's right... Sailor Saturn. Knight Saturn," her tone suddenly changed, cold and distant. The two guardians of Saturn stood at attention. "Make sure my daughter understands that she is not to accompany us under any circumstances," Cosmos ordered. 

"Yes, highness," they both said in unison and with that, hurried off. 

Hotaru and Elias ran hurriedly towards the palace, Cosmos' message still heavy on their hearts. How did they explain to the princess that her mother and father and all her friends were headed off to a possibly fatal battle, and that she could do nothing to help them. The situation was not lightening, and Hotaru was so engrossed in her thoughts, that she almost didn't notice that someone else was running along this path besides her and her husband. 

"Diana!" Hotaru gasped, stopped short so that she didn't run into her friend's feline companion, now in human form. As Hotaru starred at the child, she suddenly got an idea. Elias noticed the nearly underhanded look to his wife's eyes, and wasn't quite sure he liked it. 

"Diana," Hotaru said sternly. "I need you to deliver a message to Small Lady. Can you do that for me?" 

Diana looked perplexed, but nonetheless nodded obediently. "Yes, Princess Saturn. What is the message?" 

"The queen and her allies have gone off to fight a battle at the Galaxy Cauldron. We will do our best to return safely. However, no matter what happens, Small Lady is not to receive this message until midnight tonight. Do you understand?" The severity of Hotaru's voice told Diana not to argue. She only nodded fearfully and watched the two warriors disappear into the darkness. 

"Come back soon," she whispered, though her heart told her they might very well be the last words she ever said to Sailor Saturn or her knight again. 

The message finally reached Chibiusa, but a little before midnight. Diana was unable to keep it any longer than that. And as soon as she got the news, the small princess was quick to take up her transformation crystal once again and hurry to the Galaxy Cauldron, praying she was not too late. 

But by the time she arrived, the area surrounding the Cauldron was empty. From what Chibiusa could tell, there had been a strong release of energy here. But the Cauldron itself was stable. So what could have caused this? Chibiusa had an uneasy feeling as she watched and saw a few dim sparkles rising from the darkness. Then they disappeared. 

At that moment, a strange light overtook the young princess. Chibiusa gasped and looked down at her body to see she was no longer a child, but a young woman. And on top of her head was the crown that was worn by Neo Queen Serenity. 

"What is this?" Chibiusa asked fearfully. Behind her came a soft glow, and suddenly four girls dressed in Eternal Sailor Senshi attire appeared. Chibiusa knew these four very well. Once the enemies of the Sailor Soldiers, they had become their allies after the defeat of Queen Nehelania, and were able to awaken to their true form - the Sailor Soldiers of the asteroids. 

"Sailor Ceres! Pallas! Juno! Vesta!" Chibiusa gasped. "What are you doing here?" But the four only answered her plea with solemn gazes. 

"Don't you know, my lady?" Pallas asked. "We are your four guardians. For all these years we have laid dormant until you became a true lady, a queen of the crystal millennium." 

"Queen?" Chibiusa asked. What was it they were talking about? She was no queen. Her mother, Neo Serenity, Sailor Cosmos, she was the queen. 

"But I'm not..." Chibiusa began. 

"We mourn the loss of the former queen Sailor Cosmos," said Juno. 

"Former?" Chibiusa gasped. Her mind could not lock itself around that thought. "No, Mama would never lose any battle! She isn't dead!" 

"Small Lady..." Vesta said gently. 

"No!" the princess screamed, turning back to the empty darkness, trying desperately to see where her mother and her allies could be hiding. But all she saw was a faint mist, and a soft voice whispered, "Be happy... Small Lady..." 

"Mama!" Chibiusa screamed. "Mama, no!" 


	6. Chapter 5

After the Battle by Katrina Kadabra   
Chapter 5 

"Mama!" The new queen of Tokyo sat up abruptly in a frightened sweat. Realizing the last scenes she saw were only memories in the form of a dream, she buried her face in her hands and began to weep bitterly, waking her husband at her side. 

"Chibiusa?" he asked. Only Helios still called her by her childhood name. "Chibiusa, why are you crying?" He reached out and touched her cheek, but Chibiusa only turned away. Helios sighed. "It's that dream again, isn't it?" he asked. His wife nodded. 

"I can't help it. It's been years since the Cauldron's restoration, yet still all I can remember is Mama and Hotaru-chan, and the others..." She started to get worked up again. "I should've been there helping them, Helios. I could have saved them." Helios shook his head. 

"You know there is nothing you could have done. You were the future queen, you had to be protected. If you had been there, the Cauldron would have taken your life too. And then who would have been here to guide the new senshi?" Chibiusa wiped her eyes and allowed Helios to hold her in his arms. His touch was so warm and gentle, it always brought her peace during these times. But then, it also couldn't help but remind her of... 

"I wish I knew what happened to Papa..." she said quietly. Helios nodded in agreement. 

"I'm sure the other children would like to know that as well." 

"No, they don't know anything about it. I made sure to instruct Ceres not to give them any information." She sat up and crossed her arms, turning her up her nose a bit. "Come to think of it, I told her not to mention the last battle period, so why she took them to the shrine to find that out is beyond me." 

"Come on," said Helios with a smile, glad to see his love finally calming down. "They want to know more about their parents, they deserve to know." 

"You're right..." Chibiusa sighed. "Maybe it is time they know, at least as much as we can tell them." She laid back down on the bed. 

* * * * * 

The next morning, which normally would have been Pallas and Vesta's day to teach the young senshi, Chibiusa ordered that everyone come together for a larger class today, to be taught by her. The Asteroid senshi all found this rather unusual, but didn't question, whereas Helios watched contently, knowing his queen would do the right thing. 

Lady Serenity walked to the front of the room, and a sudden silence quickly over took the children. The queen was about to speak. 

"For a long time, I've hidden from you exactly what happened to your parents that day at the Galaxy Cauldron," she began. "But now I think it's time you knew. During the battle between Sailor Cosmos and Chaos, Cosmos re-visted the past as a child, Chibi Chibi, and received great powers from Sailor Moon. With this, she was at last able to defeat Chaos and give our land back its peace once and for all. But after that..." Chibiusa tried hard to hold back the tears. She had to be strong in front of the children, like her mother. 

"After that, there was a crisis. It was not long after Sailor Saturn had given birth. The Galaxy Cauldron began to collapse without Chaos' to support it anymore. Your parents... and mine... went to pour their energy into the Cauldron to try and save it." She took a moment to calm herself with a deep breath before speaking again. "And they were successful. Unfortunately, the Cauldron took all of their energy, down to their Star Seeds, taking away their life and their ability to be reborn. Your mothers... as you see them now in the shrine, are weakened spirits that can only appear to you through the power left in Cosmos' staff and the Silver Crystal." The queen brought her hand up to her chest, where beneath her royal attire, she still held the Silver Crystal close to her heart. For a moment, the room was silent, until finally Hoshi, Pluto's son, spoke up. 

"But our mothers are the only ones in the shrine," he pointed out. "What happened to our fathers?" The queen only turned her head away sadly in response to his question. 

"I don't know," she said. "None of us do. Just before the Cauldron took them, the king and all the knights of the inner and outer planets vanished. We've heard nothing about them." There was a moment of painful silence, no one knew what to do or say, until at last Shiro, Mercury's son stepped forward. 

"Queen," he said politely. "Why not let us go and try to find out?" Serenity looked up in shock. 

"What did you say?" Anzino asked. Shiro tried to think of a way to explain himself without sounding too ridiculous. 

"We are Sailor Soldiers too," he pointed out. "And up until now, we've only been training our powers. I don't know if I speak for everyone, but..." he glanced back at the group. "But I would like the chance to have a real mission. And also... I want to know what happened to my dad." The others nodded in agreement. Serenity wasn't quite sure how to react. To be honest, she didn't know what was going to happen when she told the children everything she knew. And although it lifted a considerable burden from her shoulders, it had now also charged her with an important decision. Should she let the children go and try to find out what she could never explain? Or should she keep them within the safety of the palace until they were older? The more Serenity entertained the thought, the more her decision seemed made for her. 

"If that is what you want to do," she said quietly. "However, I'm not about to let you go alone." She motioned for the Asteroid Senshi to step forward. 

"You will split into groups," she ordered. "Akio, Kasami, Michiko, you go with Ceres. Hoshi, Kaiya, Sakura, you're with Vesta. Marie, Shiro, and Anzino, you're with Juno. And Ryou, Reika, and Ai... 

"Aiko," Venus' daughter corrected, but Serenity didn't listen to her. Ai sighed; she only got her name because Michi got her brother Akio's name mixed up with Ai's full name. So the nickname stuck. 

"... you're with Pallas." The children were all very excited, but Sailor Pallas looked hesitant about the whole thing. 

"Your highness... are you sure it's alright if we leave you and the king alone like this?" she asked. Serentity smiled and took her husband's hand. 

"Don't worry about us," she said. "It is a time of peace, after all, and it's not like I don't have powers of my own. Besides, Diana will still be here." 

"I guess..." Pallas muttered. 

"So we're leaving now?" Sakura asked excitedly. 

"Not quite yet," said Serenity. "There's still one more thing I need to show you." 

The queen led the children out of the school building and down the marble pathway, into a room near the palace they had never been to before. As soon as she opened the door, the children's eyes glittered with amazement. Arragened before them were all sorts of strange and beautiful items: a firely bow and arrow, a blue harp and visor-computer, a golden chain, a wreath, a sword, a mirror, a strange heart-shaped orb and a large sickle-like weapon. 

"There are the weapons your mothers used in battle," Serenity explained. "Up until now, I haven't moved them from here. But now I think it's time they were passed onto to their respective owners." She picked up each item and began passing them out. All the girls gazed in awe at these powerful objects, young Sakura was actually struggling to hold hers up. Meanwhile the boys looked a bit in disgust. 

"Don't we get anything?" Ryou asked. Serenity smiled. 

"Of course, you didn't think I'd leave you out." The queen concentrated her power and in the hands of the four sons of the different planets appeared a sheild, each one bearing the planetary symbol of its holder. 

"Those shields will help you against any enemies, but they can be used as weapons as well," Serenity explained. The young men noded gratefully, though Ryou was still eyeing Kasami's sword. He thought about asking if they could get two weapons, but then thought the better of it. Again, Serenity closed her eyes and called on the power of her crystal. This time Silence Glaive that Sakura held grew down to a more reasonable size and Marie's computer visor shrunk to only cover one eye. 

"I hope these adjustments help," she said. "I don't know how much power your mothers' weapons still have in them, but I'm sure they will grow to your match your strength." The children all nodded. Their mission was before them. They could not turn back or hesitate now. They each concentrated the power of their planets and in one brillaint flash of light, transformed to their senshi and knight forms. 

"Your highness..." said Akio, bowing in front of the queen. "We, the new Sailor Soldiers and new Sailor Knights of the Crystal Mileniumm, promise you that we will return with information about the former king and his knights." Serenity nodded. 

"I trust you," she whispered. "Good luck." 

The children all bowed, and with the Asterioid Senshi leading them, started down the path towards the outskirts of Crystal Tokyo and into a new adventure unlike anything they expected. While meanwhile, unbenounced to anyone else, a group a invisible figures watched them from a distance. 

"This looks like it could mean trouble," a man's voice whispered. "Should we follow them?" 

"No," another replied. "Let them go. Let's see what they're capable of." 


	7. Chapter 6

After the Battle by Katrina Kadabra   
Chapter 6 

Chapter 6 

The four groups decided they should all head in different directions, so as to better cover more ground. Ceres along with the children of Neptune and Uranus, headed towards the north, a wooded region that had gone unexplored for quite some time. As they walked along, Michiko once again hitched a ride on her older brother's back, smiling as she held firm to his shoulders. Kasami turned her nose up in disgust. 

"You sure pay a lot of attention to her," she muttered. 

"Why not?" Akio asked. "She is my sister." 

"What about me?" Kasami asked. "We're not little kids anymore, and I'm practically a woman you know." 

"Kasami, you're nine," Ceres pointed out. Kasami sighed. Ceres really knew how to ruin a point when she wanted to. Akio, however, seemed more than happy to change the topic. 

"Ceres, can you tell us more about our parents?" he asked. "What were they like?" 

"Well..." said Ceres hesitantly. "I wasn't exactly around when the outer senshi came to battle. But I think I have a photo of them." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a slightly worn photograph and handed it to Akio. Akio was quite fascinated by the picture, 20th century technology was certainly primitive. 

Kasami glanced over Akio's shoulder. The picture depicted a group of four, one a young woman with beautiful turquoise hair wearing a light pink dress. To either side of her, a blonde in a green plaid school uniform and a young man with very light, almost white hair wearing glasses and a kind smile. And next to him, another man with brownish hair and hazel eyes. 

"You see?" said Ceres. "That's Kasami's father, Taylor. And Akio and Michi," she now pointed to the young man wearing the glasses. "This is your father, Nathan." Kasami squinted at the picture. 

"And who's the other guy?" she asked, pointing to the blonde. Ceres sweatdropped. 

"Um, that's your mother." Michiko burst into uncontrollable peals of laughter while Kasami grabbed the photograph in disbelief. 

"What!" she exclaimed. "That can't be my mother! She looks like a princess in all the other pictures in the palace." 

"Now we know why Kasami's such a tomboy," Michiko giggled again. Kasami's face turned bright red. In truth, Michiko probably didn't mean anything personal by her comment, but that didn't mean that the words didn't hurt just as much. 

"What do you know, Michiko!" she snapped. 

"Kasami, calm down," said Ceres, taking the photograph away before she ripped it. "Sailor Uranus was a strong fighter. She believed that gender should never make a difference in battle, that a woman could protect those she loved just as much as a man could. You should be proud to be the daughter of someone like that. A princess and a warrior..." 

Kasami turned her face away. "Neptune was both too," she muttered. "And she managed to be beautiful and graceful on top of that." With that, Kasami turned and ran into the woods. Ceres was about to run after her, but then, she reasoned, maybe the girl just needed some time alone. 

Kasami ran only a short distance until she found a small pond in a clearing. Kneeling down, she glazed into her reflection, at the scared, rough little kid she tried so hard not to be. Of course, it was obvious that Akio's mother was the gorgeous one. His face and the face of his sister showed it. Removing the band that held her hair in its usual ponytail, Kasami ran her hands through her hair a couple times to try and smooth it out. It didn't work, only bounced back to flyaway look it always had. A tear of frustration formed in Kasami's eye. Maybe Michiko was right. Maybe she was just a tomboy after all. There was nothing Akio would ever see in her. 

"Mama," she said sadly. "Mama, you fell in love once. What was it like? Did you act any different? How did you finally tell Papa how you felt about him?" The forming tear finally escaped Kasami's eyes and fell into the pool before her, distorting her reflection. "You're supposed to be here to tell me these things, Mama. I hate you for being gone." 

At that moment, Kasami heard something that sounded like a scream coming from the area she was just at. Michiko! Without hesitation, Kasami jumped up, grabbing her Space Sword in the process and running towards the sound of her companion's voice. 

As Kasami ran into the clearing, she gasped at what she saw. She some kind of giant snake was holding Michiko tightly in its coils. And it wasn't about to let anyone come near her either. Off to the side, Akio was try desperately to help his sister, striking blow after blow at the serpent's tail, but the creature didn't even seem to take notice. Meanwhile, Michiko continued to cry and scream for help. 

"Michi, use the Submarine Mirror!" Kasami heard herself calling out. Akio looked up in shock, apparently unsure as to whether or not Kasami would return. Michiko nodded as she struggled to reach for her talisman. 

"You're going to get it now," she muttered, finally finding the mirror. "Submarine Reflection!" 

For not being used in such a long time, Neptune's talisman still showed an impressive amount of power. The mirror's reflected surface burst forth with a while beam of light that hit the creature that held Michiko captive right in the face. The young senshi was quite proud of her accomplishment, but unfortunately the pride came too soon. The creature was far from defeat and it shook its huge body angrily at taking a hit, causing Michiko to lose her grip on her precious talisman. 

"No, the mirror!" Akio yelled, but it was too late. Neptune's mirror fell to the ground, shattering the surface to pieces. Seeing the last possession of his mother broken before him, Akio's anger raged as he again began to attack the creature that held his sister captive, making several large gashes with the edge of his shield. In the meantime, Kasami held out her talisman and readied herself for an attack. "Space Sword..." she whispered. The blade of the Space Sword at first did nothing. But then, it began to let forth a warm golden glow which grew into a blazing yellow light. Kasami wielded the blade over her shoulder and swung it forward with all her strength. 

"Space Sword Blaster!" The light from Uranus' talisman rushed forth and connected with the serpent's neck, slicing it in two. The creature screamed and in the next moment, vanished from sight, taking Michiko with it. 

"Michi!" Akio screamed. "Michiko, no!" But there was no reply. The air was still, and his sister was gone.   
"No..." Akio whispered as he fell down to his knees, cursing himself for not protecting her better. Was he that much of a failure? What chance did he think he stood as a knight of Neptune if he could not even protect his little sister from a forest monster? 

Kasami's heart ached to see Akio in such pain, and she didn't know what she could do to ease it either. Slowly she walked over to where Neptune's talisman lay on the ground. Trying to salvage what was left of the mirror's dignity, she gently picked it up and walked towards Akio, who looked disheartened towards it. 

"I couldn't even protect the mirror..." he said sadly. Kasami was about to correct him, since the mirror had been in Michiko's possession and she was the one charged to guard it. But before she could speak, the mirror suddenly began to glow. And then it vanished, just as quickly and mysteriously as its owner. The two children looked at each other in shock. 

"Maybe it went to Michiko?" Kasami suggested. 

"Or maybe it vanished since it lost its power," said Akio sadly. Now Kasami was losing her patience. 

"Stop being so pessimistic!" she snapped. "You know that's not going to help you find Michiko or the mirror!" Akio looked up a bit surprised, and Kasami had to admit, she was a bit shocked herself. Were those her words? She certainly sounded like she was taking charge. She kind of liked the feeling. 

"Anyway," she said, getting herself under control. "We should try to find the others as soon as possible. This isn't something we can handle on our own. Where's Sailor Ceres?" 

Akio looked around him, but somehow his eyes read that he knew he would find nothing. 

"I'm not sure exactly, but I think she was captured during the battle," he admitted. "One second she was right behind me, backing me up, the next, she was gone." 

"Then, we had better re-group with the others as soon as possible," Kasami said. "If this thing was strong enough to take Ceres without our even noticing, then the others and maybe even the queen could be in danger. We have to hurry." 

"Right," said Akio, at last with a confident nod. "Let's go."   



	8. Chapter 7

After the Battle by Katrina Kadabra   
Chapter 7 

Michiko slowly opened her eyes but saw nothing. It was dark, almost unnaturally so. Where was her brother? And Kasami? And Ceres? Michiko struggled to get to her feet, but to her terror, she discovered that her body would not move. Some kind of unseen force was holding everything but her head still. All she could do was lie there helpless, listening to the voices that muttered outside her cell. 

"What? What do you mean you brought back the princess of Neptune?" The first voice was loud and very demanding. The second was much calmer and rational, almost submissive. 

"I'm sorry, sir, but it wasn't intentional. When my serpent was killed, it returned back to me, bringing the Neptune princess with it." 

"That's your excuse? What kind of pathetic creatures are you raising that they get killed by little children?" 

"The Uranus princess had the Space Sword with her, it's a powerful weapon no matter who uses it. But in either case, we've captured the first of the Asteroid Senshi." There was a lengthy pause. 

"I see. Well then, I see your mission was not a total failure. But the Neptune girl is a problem. She'll lead the others right to us if we're not careful. Get rid of her immediately." 

Michiko gasped. Where they talking about killing her? Her frozen body began to shake with fear, which intensified as she heard footsteps coming closer and a voice that said, 

"As you wish, sir." With that, Michiko heard the sound of a door swinging open, the first light to appear since she'd blacked out while fighting that monster. Upon glancing around, Michiko saw that she was in some kind of underground dungeon. A cell built with dank, decaying stone bricks, and a heavy mist that did not give way to any light. The silhouette who opened the door approached Michiko and she felt her pulse quicken more. He was going to kill her, and she couldn't even move to defend herself. 

"Please, someone save me!" she thought as she closed her eyes and prepared for the worst. 

Suddenly, Michiko felt the strange mist that surrounded her vanish. She could move her body again. She sat up and looked around to see that in fact the cell was much better lit than she originally thought. And in front of the now closed doorway stood a young man just slightly older than Akio, dressed all in black, with eyes and hair to match, a sharp contract to his almost deathly pale skin. 

"You aren't... going to kill me?" Michiko asked nervously, not sure if she wanted to give him suggestions or not. 

"I don't kill helpless kids," the boy muttered. "That's not my style." He walked over to the back wall and felt along the edges for a moment before giving a sharp kick to the stone closest to his foot. The stone broke to pieces, opening a path of sunlight. 

"Your exit's there," he said to Michiko. "Follow it, and don't ever come back here." He knelt down so he was on eye level with the person he was speaking to. "Your friends are out there too?" Michiko nodded. "Keep them away from the palace," he said. "In a few days, Neo Crystal Tokyo is going to become a zone of destruction." 

Michiko's eyes widened, her mind filled with so many questions. What did this guy mean, destruction? What was going to happen to their home, to Lady Serenity? Michiko wanted to stay and find out more, but the young man would not allow any more delays and quickly began to push her towards the hole he had made in the wall. 

"Wait!" Michiko pleaded. "At least tell me your name." The young man turned his head, pausing before he quietly replied, 

"My name is Maigokisha. Avoid it, if you want to live." 

* * * * * 

"Okay, people, walk in line with me now, ready? One. Two. One. Two." 

Reika sighed exhausted as Sailor Pallas led her and her brother along with Ai in annoying march up a rocky terrain. 

"Why did we have to come this way?" she whined to their energetic leader. "And why the heck are you turning it into another gym class?" 

"Oh, come on," Ai said with a smile, bouncing from one rock to another after Pallas. "Miss Pallas is only trying to make it more interesting for us, and this is kind of fun." Ai giggled; she had Venus' personality alright. 

"If you consider hiking up a mountain fun," Reika muttered. 

"It's not just that," said Pallas, finally slowing down. "I also want to make sure the three of you are safe. It's your first time out of the protection of Neo Crystal Tokyo, and I'm fully responsible for what happens to you." 

"You don't have to worry about us," Ryou assured her, giving his sister a help up. "We can take care of ourselves." 

Pallas shrugged her shoulders. "Doesn't hurt to be careful." Though she didn't say it out loud to the children, Pallas sensed a connection with them. Being the youngest of the Asteroid senshi, she had something to prove as well. She was a responsible guardian, a powerful senshi. And on her first time out of the protected city, she would show that both to the others and to herself. 

"So, where do we go from here?" Ai asked, waiting for the others to catch up. Sailor Pallas sweatdropped a bit. 

"I'm... not exactly sure," she admitted, seeing her dreams a leader flash before her eyes. "We came here to find clues about the Sailor Knights, so anything you see or hear that might give us a clue to what happened to them, that's where we should go." 

"Hey," said Ai, snapping her fingers. "I heard that Sailor Mars was a psychic or something like that. Maybe Reika or Ryou can tell us where we should go." 

Reika turned away nervously. "My mama had visions now and again," she said. "But I've never gotten any." 

"Me neither," Ryou admitted. 

"It's okay," Sailor Pallas assured the two young soldiers. "You have your own unique talents, all three of you. We don't need a psychic vision to find where to go. We'll navigate on our own." 

As if on cue, the group suddenly heard a voice calling towards them. A girl's voice. 

"Ai! Ryou! Reika! Is that you guys?" 

Pallas looked up and squinted at the terrain as she tried to see where the voice was coming from. A small figure with short curly green hair quickly appeared running in their direction. 

"Michiko!" Pallas asked in shock. The other children looked at each other in complete confusion. What was Michiko doing here of all places? She had started off in the completely opposite direction, hadn't she? As the little girl ran into Pallas, clutching to her as tightly as she could, Reika noticed she was shaking uncontrollably. 

"Calm down, Michi, calm down," Pallas said, trying to use the same comforting tone Michiko's brother always seemed to use. It didn't work quite as well. 

"We have to get back to the palace," Michiko cried, still holding to Pallas as if her life depended on it. 

"Why?" Pallas asked. "What's going on at the palace?" Before Michiko could answer, Ryou sat up suddenly, holding his head as if in pain. He closed his eyes and he could see images, images of darkness and destruction, of the place they called home being ripped to shreds before them. What was this? Where were these pictures coming from? And why were they coming to him? Now? 

"Ryou?" Reika asked, now more than a bit scared. "Ryou, what's wrong?" 

"I..." Ryou stuttered. "I just saw something." 

"Like what?" Reika asked impatiently. Just then, she too winced as if in pain. Ai watched the two siblings rather confused. Maybe they did inherit more power from their mother than they thought. 

"Something's coming!" Ryou announced and as he said it, the sky around them grew dark. An evil laughter could be heard not far away. 

"Sailor Pallas of the Asteroid Senshi!" a woman's voice announced. "I have found you!"   



	9. Chapter 8

After the Battle by Katrina Kadabra   
Chapter 8 

Ryou stepped back in a defensive position in front of his sister and Michiko. Ai, however, was not about to be protected. She ran up boldly to the intruding, grasping the golden chain of Venus in her hands. 

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. The intruder was a pale-face woman with black hair past her head. She floated in the air, most of her body covered by a long gray cloak. Her eyes were cold an sinister, sending chills through anyone who looked at them long enough. Her voice had the same effect. 

"What am I doing here?" she asked, as if insulted. "I am here to capture the Asteroid Senshi. I see one of them is with you. Stand aside." 

"Are you the one that captured Michiko before?" Ryou demanded. The woman took a glance over at the young princess and laughed. 

"The Neptune girl? Of course not! We have no use for her. Maigo was actually ordered to exterminate her, but of course the fool didn't listen." She floated down a bit so she was almost on eye-level with her opponents, though her feet did not yet quite touch the ground. "Normally, I would have reported this, but when I realized that it was a perfect opportunity to capture another of the Asteroid senshi, I allowed it. And thus I followed and found you here." 

Terror struck Michiko's heart. She had never realized she was being followed. And now her foolishness had put her friends in danger. The thoughts made Michiko want to weep, until she felt Reika's calming hand on her shoulder. 

"Don't be upset, Michiko," she whispered. "She's a powerful sorceress, I'm sure she's familiar with all sorts of techniques to hide her power. There was no way you could have known you were being followed." 

"I suppose, but..." Michiko began, but Reika interrupted her. 

"Don't worry, we'll beat her okay?" 

At this, the dark-haired woman laughed again. "Beat me?" she questioned. "You, little children of the old Sailor Senshi? Your parentage may be impressive, but that means nothing. You're weaklings, and expendable. You have one choice to save your lives and that is to step away before I lose my temper." 

As the woman spoke, Ryou glanced nervously around. He wasn't quite sure he could deal with this threat, but he knew he couldn't stand by either. His heart was pounding as his mind ached with what to do. Strangely enough, though, when he glanced at his sister, she looked completely calm. She even had closed her eyes after talking to Michiko. What was she doing? 

"Reika?" he whispered. 

"Shh..." she said back. Then after another moment, she added quietly, "Can you feel that?" 

"Feel what?" Ryou asked. 

"Her power. Can you feel her power?" Ryou glanced back at their enemy. He did feel something about her, a certain aura, a special type of attack. 

"I think so," he said. "She is strong is some areas, but I can feel her weaknesses as well." It was only then that he noticed that his lips were not moving and although he heard every word his sister spoke, neither were hers. 

"Enough standing and staring at each other!" the woman remarked as she drew what appeared to be a small dagger from her belt. "I, Hacate, will finish you here!" She raised her hand to prepare for an attack when suddenly Reika yelled out, 

"Pallas! A lightning attack! From the left!" 

Sailor Pallas jerked around and sure enough, with a swing of her dagger, Hacate had left off on surge of lightning in just that direction. Luckily, Pallas had just enough time to counter it. 

"Amazon Jungle Arrow!" she yelled. The two attacked collided and neutralized each other. Ai had to jumped out of the way to avoid getting caught in the blast. 

"How did you...?" Hacate cursed under her breath as she pondered how on earth this small child could have foreseen her attack. But no matter. She would finish them off soon enough anyway. She lifted her hand and got ready again, but this time as she swung, it was Ryou who called her, 

"Ai! Another one! In front of Pallas" Ai quickly turned and let off her attack: 

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" The blast was not nearly as powerful as Pallas' Jungle Arrow attack, but it was still enough to protect her from danger. Now Hecate was really starting to become annoyed. The Asteroid Senshi stood her ground between the children and her opponent. 

"Why are you after me?" she demanded. 

"You should know that better than anyone," Hecate replied. "The four asteroid senshi are the guardians of Crystal Palace. Once we've captured you, Cystal Tokyo is open to our will." 

"You think you can beat King Helios and Lady Serenity?" Pallas asked. "There's no way." 

"Not on our own of course," Hacate answered. "We will have to draw on your power." Pallas' eyes widened. So that was the plan behind their attacks. It was true that if these enemies somehow had a way to harness the energy of her and her friends and combine it with their own; it would certainly be a force to be reckoned with. Of course, she herself was not going to go down so easily. 

"Then we'll have to beat you first!" Ai cried out. 

While the battle raged on between Pallas and her allies and Hacate, Kasami and Akio were unfortunately running in the completely opposite direction. Akio thought he sensed someone with their power close by, and his intuitions proved to be correct, as the two outer senshi ran, quite literally, right into Sailor Juno. 

"Ow!" Kasami muttered, staggering back. 

"Kasami! Akio!" Marie cheering, running up to them. She was still wearing the mini-visor and holding her computer out. "I knew you were out here! I got a reading from my computer, we've been trying to find you!" 

Akio knelt down so Marie was a bit more on eye level. 

"You found us with your computer?" he said. "That's very impressive." 

"Well, Shiro had to help me a little bit," she admitted, motioning to her brother. "But once you get used to it, it's really pretty easy. It's like I just think what I want to know, and it comes up." 

"Not bad for 20th century technology, even if it is from Queen Serenity," Akio said with a smile. Behind him, he heard Kasami tapping her foot impatiently. He sighed and stood up. "I'm afraid we've got some bad news," he said. 

"What bad news?" Shiro asked. 

"While Kasami, Michiko and I were traveling, a monster attacked us. It captured Sailor Ceres along with my sister... and then disappeared." Akio turned his face to the side. Talking about his little sister, as well as seeing Marie standing there with Shiro couldn't help but make him fearful for her. Not to mention still guilty about allowing her to be taken. Shiro seemed to sense his distress and put a understanding hand on his friend's shoulder. 

"Can you tell us anything else?" he asked. "Any clue as to where it might have gone?" 

Akio shook his head. "No," he said solemnly. "Although it didn't seem like Michiko was its target. It seemed more like it was after Sailor Ceres, and she just sort of... came along by accident." 

"But why would anyone be after Sailor Ceres?" Marie asked. At this, Sailor Juno stepped up. Behind her Jupiter's daughter Anzino, nervously wrung her small hands together. This was supposed to be a search for their fathers; all this talk of monsters and enemies was making her frightened. 

"We as the Asteroid Senshi are the main guardians of Crystal Palace," Juno explained. "It's quite possible that if someone is after Lady Serenity, they would attack us first." At the word 'attack', Anzino went from clinging to her own hands, to Juno's leg. 

"Should we go back to the palace then?" Shiro asked. 

"Yeah, I like that idea," said Anzino. But Juno seemed to disagree. 

"We can't go back with Michiko still out there. We have to find her first." She looked down at the shivering little girl still attached to her leg. "Anzino..." she said quietly. 

"I wanna go back," the girl muttered. Juno smiled. 

"Yes, I know you do. But one of our friends is in trouble. We can't just leave her behind. Is that what a Sailor Senshi would do?" 

Anzino looked up and wiped her eyes, trying to seem as brave as possible. 

"No, I guess not," she admitted. She knew Juno was being nice to her, and though a part of her appreciated it and wanted to cling to it, another part told her she needed to stand for herself, to not be so scared. She was always the quieter one in class, she never liked to talk to much to others. There was always that fear that she would say something wrong, that she would embarrassed, that she would mess up. She wondered if Sailor Jupiter ever felt like this.   
  



	10. Chapter 9

**After the Battle by Katrina Kadabra**

_Author's Notes: Okay, seriously, I'm about ready to put this story on hiatus and start posting something new. If you are reading this story and have not reviewed yet, please take the time to leave one. I don't leave stories indefinatly incomplete or hold my stories ransom for reviews, however, it does make me put new material up quicker if I see I'm getting a positive response for it. Thank you._

* * *

Chapter 9 

Before the group could travel any further, they were interrupted yet again. This time there was a clash of lightning, and out of the lightening appeared a figure dressed in black, his eyes and hair a deep brown. Kasami gasped. Despite her fear and the darkness surrounding him when they first met, she knew this person. 

"It's you!" she exclaimed. The others looked at her like she was nuts. 

"Kasami, you know this person?" Shiro asked. The young girl nodded. "He was the one who kidnapped Michiko and Ceres! I'm sure I felt his presence when they disappeared." 

"I see the princess failed to warn you to stay out of my way," Maigo retorted. A blaze of anger came across Akio's face. 

"Where is my sister?" he demanded. Maigo seemed unmoved. 

"What do you care? You're the one who left her out of her sight, aren't you?" 

At this, Akio hung his head in shame. Kasami tried to comfort him by placing a hand on his shoulder, but he only turned away. "Yes," he admitted. "I know I should have been a better protector. But that's not going to stop me from defending her now." 

Maigo shook his head. "My patience grows thin. But since I said it to your sister, I'll say it to you as well. I'm here only for the Asteroid senshi. If you wish to survive, you won't put up a fight and leave Crystal Tokyo. Otherwise I bear no responsibility for what happens to you." 

"So you're after Crystal Palace?" Shiro demanded. His adversary did not respond with anything more that a sly smile. 

"You've been given your warning," he said. "Now stand back or face dire consequences." The children looked at each other. They stood back alright, but instead of stepping away from Sailor Juno, they formed a semi-circle around her. Even Anzino, although she still kept herself behind Juno rather than in front of her. 

"Children…" Juno began. She was touched by their bravery and willingness to defend her, but she could still sense the power coming from their enemy. She was assigned to be their protector, not the other way around. 

"We'll hold him off," Shiro said. "You should try to make your escape." 

"No," Juno said. "We fight him together." 

Shiro was about to object, but the planning strategy had to end there, for into the center of the circle suddenly shot a sharp of direct spray of water, missing Juno and the children, but leaving nasty crater in the ground where it impacted. 

"Water?" Akio gasped. But last we saw, he used plant attacks." 

"Idiot!" Maigo yelled. "Do you really think my master would give me only one type of attack? I have been well-versed in a variety of techniques, there is nothing you can do to counter me!" He raised his hand and this time a ball of fire appeared. He threw it in the senshi's direction, who had to quickly scrambled to get out of the way. 

"I wanna go home!" Anzino called, still sticking to Juno like a shadow. "Please, can we go?" 

"No," Juno answered. "We must stand our ground." She looked towards her opponent. 

"Amazon Jungle arrow!" she yelled. A ray of green light flew forward, but Maigo dodged the attack. 

"World shaking!" Kasami yelled. 

"Deep submerge!" seconded Akio. 

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" finished Shiro. The three attacks combined themselves for a massive impact, but Maigo only put up his arms, forming a shield of water that neutralized the attacks. 

"I'm trying to get a reading on his weaknesses!" Marie announced. The single-eye visor was covering her right eye as she typed madly onto her hand computer. Their enemy was very powerful, and as he claimed, he had any number of magical powers up his sleeve. But he bragged just a bit too much. There was one type of power he had yet to master. 

Unfortunately, before Marie could make this known, the vines attacked again, grabbing her by the leg and hoisting her into the air. 

"Marie!" Shiro called out, and in his hesitation, he was caught as well. Maigo held the two children of Mercury above Juno and the others' heads like a prize, wrapping more and more vines around their body, including their necks. 

"Now surrender yourself, Juno," he demanded. "Or you might find yourself burdened with the guilt of watching these two suffocate to death." 

Kasami gripped her sword angrily, but upon hearing the cries of her comrades, she dropped it to the ground, as did Akio his shield. 

"Why are you doing this?" Kasami asked, shivering. "You said you let Michiko go with a warning, and I can tell by your eyes. You aren't that heartless. Why are you attacking us like this?" 

For a moment, there was a look of regret on Maigo's face, as if he suddenly called into question everything he had been fighting for up to this point. But that look was quickly covered over by an expression of frustration and anger. "Shut up!" he yelled. "You could not possibly understand my motivations. Now decide. Your friend's lives or Juno's capture?" 

Akio looked down at the ground. "Is there nothing we can do?" he asked solemnly, and more to the air around him than anyone else. 

Marie, though her body screamed for her to put every effort into getting more oxygen, managed to turn her head and yell to the group, 

"Don't give into him, never give in! His weakness is lightning! Attack him with lightning!" At this, the plant tightened its grip and Marie could no longer speak. Anzino gasped. Lightening was her specialty. 

"The powers over thunder and lightening are difficult to master, it's true I haven't learned them yet," Maigo said. "But then, judging by the attacks you've been using, neither have any of you." At this, the snake-like vines wrapped themselves around Kasami and Akio, holding them into the air along with the others. A third vine wrapped itself around Juno' wrists, not capturing her completely, but preventing her from launching a direct attack. The jewel on her tiara blared as a warning for it to try no more. 

"Anzino," she said, kneeling down to the little girl next to her and whispering so Maigo could not hear. "Anzino, you know you can beat this guy. We have faith in you." 

"Me?" Anzino gasped. "But Miss Juno, I can't. My technique never works out right when we practice it in class. I'm not very strong, and I'm not very brave. How can I possibly beat him?" 

"You have the power within you," Juno assured her. "And if you are able to free your comrades, they fill fight with you. Believe in yourself." At this point, the vines around her wrists suddenly grew exponentially, wrapping themselves around her body as she allowed herself to be caught off-guard. 

"At last…" Maigo said. "Another one the Asteroid senshi is mine!" 

"Anzino…" Juno gasped as the vines tightened around her neck. "Anzino, please..." Anzino touched the gem on her forehead. Juno' had given off the power to protect her. And what was she? Wasn't Anzino Kino a Sailor Senshi just like the others? Didn't she have the strength and will to fight like they did? Well, maybe not as much, but she had something. And she wasn't about to allow her fears to suppress it when her friends needed help. Carefully she stood up, making sure to stay out of Maigo's sight. The vines dropped Shiro, Marie, Kasami, and Akio, but held fast onto Juno. 

"You'll be coming with me," Maigo said. But before he could vanish, there was suddenly a loud clash of thunder. He whirled around the see, but it was too late to react. 

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" The power of Jupiter flowing within her, Anzino let off a viscous cloud of lightening that found its mark perfectly. The lightening shocked Maigo's system, weakening him dramatically. Unfortunately, it also flowed through the vines he was using to hold Juno, and she too, let out a scream of pain. 

"Oh no!" Anzino gasped when she realized what she had done. 

"It's okay!" Kasami yelled, picking up her sword and slashing the vines that held Juno away. The Asteroid senshi fell to the ground. Marie immediately went over to do a medical examination with her computer. 

"She's alright," she announced. "She's just been knocked out. Maigo took the blunt of the blow." Anzino breathed a sigh of relief, though she still couldn't help but feel a little guilty for injuring her teacher like that. 

"Don't be upset," said Shiro, as if reading her thoughts. "You did exactly what you had to do. We're proud of you, Anzino, or I guess, Neo Jupiter." The young senshi smiled proudly at her accomplishment. But unfortunately, the pride was to be short-lived. 

Though he had taken a serious impact from the attack on his weakness, Maigo still had not been killed. Perhaps it was his own strength, or the love of Anzino's heart that had not allowed it to happen. But in either case, he had taken serious injuries and needed to return at once. Gasping he reached out his hand and pointed towards Juno. 

"No!" Marie gasped, but it was too late. The tips of their fingers touched and both Maigo and Sailor Juno disappeared. 

"A teleporting technique!" Akio scowled. "We should have known. But why didn't he use it earlier?" 

"There was too much going on, and he couldn't get a hold of Juno," Marie explained. "I believe he has to physically touch the person to take them with him." 

Kasami lowered her sword and sighed. "So what do we do now?" she asked. 

"We find the others," announced Shiro, holding his shield to his side. "Maigo was obviously weakened from that attack. If we can group together at their headquarters, we might be able to beat him and free the senshi as well." 

"Alright," Anzino said boldly. "Let's go!"   
  



	11. Chapter 10

**After the Battle by Katrina Kadabra**   
**Chapter 10**   


Lady Serenity paced nervously back and forth the halls of the palace. 

"Chibiusa?" Helios asked when he saw his wife's distress. "Chibiusa, is something wrong?" 

"I don't know," she replied, shaking her head. "I just... can't shake this feeling that the children are in danger." 

Helios put a loving arm around the queen. "The children are under the protection of the white moon, and they have the asteroid senshi with them," he assured her. "I'm sure they will be fine." He said this to help calm her, but in his heart, the king too couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Neither the young senshi nor their guardians had sent any word back to the palace since they left, and though this could be due to any number of reasons, the king and queen couldn't help but fear the worst. 

"You're right," Lady Serenity finally said. "They're probably fine." 

"No!" Back in the shrine, Sailor Cosmos shouted loudly at the image before her. 

"Cosmos!" Pluto scolded. "If you keep wearing out your energy like that, I'm not going to show you any images anymore." It was a poor threat, but Pluto wasn't sure what else to do. Using what power her spirit had left in her, she was able to display before the former queen images of what was happening in the outside world. She didn't do it often, only when Sailor Cosmos insisted. And the problem was now, that she was quite insistent. 

"Don't talk to me about wasting my energy, Pluto!" Cosmos said. "Three of the asteroid senshi have been taken captive and once the fourth is gone, the palace is open for attack and so are the children. We have to do something." 

"I agree," said Mercury. "Even if the palace falls and we fall, the children must be safe. Did we give our lives for nothing?" 

"That's all very sentimental, but you're forgetting one thing," said Uranus coldly. "We can't leave the shrine. We've tried before, it's too much of a strain. We'll vanish forever before we even get near Crystal Palace." 

"Let's try again," Cosmos insisted. 

"No, I won't let you!" Uranus yelled back. Cosmos looked at her with a glare of anger and sadness. Uranus immediately fell silent; she hated it when her princess looked at her that way. 

"Please understand," said Venus, gentler. "That it is and always has been our job to protect you. And I can't help feeling that as leader of your inner court, I have failed you somehow. I'm sure Uranus feels the same." Uranus nodded lightly, but did not say a word. 

"And please understand from me," Cosmos replied. "I spent my whole life being protected. That time is over. Now, whatever happens, I must protect our future." 

Pluto sighed. "If your highness is insistent, I believe there is something else I could try." 

While King Helios was taking a stroll through the gardens to help ease his mind, the queen sat in her chambers. The two tiny cradles sat at the opposite end of the room, their inhabitants sleeping peacefully. Lady Serenity did not know why she kept them indoors so much. Perhaps it was that she feared for their safety. Or perhaps it was that she feared that if she let go of anyone precious to her anymore, it the moment she blinked her eyes, they would be gone. She walked over to the side of the cradles and peered in. The twins had been a surprise to everyone, including herself and her husband. The firstborn was a son, blonde hair, blue eyes sparkling like those of his grandfather. The second a girl, lavender hair and affectionate purple eyes. She always loved to be near her brother. 

Lady Serenity pushed a small piece of hair away from her daughter's sleeping eyes. The child seemed to be smiling, hopefully from a good dream. Even though she hated to disturb her, the queen could not resist and pulled the tiny infant from the cradle, resting her head on her shoulder. 

"My little princess," she whispered. "I hope you and your brother grow up happily. I hope you never have to see war, or know the pain it causes when those you love leave you." She held the girl a bit closer. "I swear, I will never leave you." At that moment, she heard a small cooing coming from the child as she held her. Of course, she had been holding too tightly and woken the girl up. Lady Serenity scolded herself for getting so emotional and pulled the child away from her, ready to place her back in her cradle. But as she did, she noticed something unusual. A symbol was glowing on the princess' small forehead. It was dull at first to make out, but as the symbol grew brighter, the image became clear. It was a crescent moon. 

"Impossible!" Lady Serenity whispered. "Her power could not have awakened this early." But there were more surprises in store. As the infant looked fussed and turned, her lips seemed to move as if forming words: 

"Small Lady."   



	12. Chapter 11

**After the Battle by Katrina Kadabra**   
**Chapter 11**

Lady Serenity was so shocked, she had to steady herself to keep from dropping her infant daughter. But how...? How was it possible? The silver crystal had surprised her many times in the past, and she wouldn't have put it totally past it for her daughters power to awaken unusually early, even for her to speak. But to say the name she had just said... there was only one explanation for that. 

"Ma... mama?" Serenity's voice dared to stutter out. Her child turned towards her in response to the name, symbol blazing on her forehead, deep eyes locked on hers. Only now instead of their usual purple tone, her eyes were blue. 

"Small Lady," she said again. "I'm afraid I only have a short time to talk to you. Pluto's power will not hold long." 

"So it is you!" Lady Serenity gasped out. "But Mama, how...?" 

"I am channeling my voice through Lilith. Because she is so young, her mind is open and she allowed my power into her. But even now, I may only have a few moments, so listen carefully. The young senshi are in danger." 

Lady Serenity gasped. "How?" she asked. 

"There is a new enemy we did not foresee. It is not Chaos. She was destroyed. But despite this, there is always a chance for darkness to born from the Galaxy Cauldron. It is the way things are. You must go and protect those children, Small Lady. You're the only one who can do it." 

"What about the Asteroid Senshi?" she asked. 

"The Asteroid Senshi have been captured. Only one remains, and she will in moments be under attack. You must confront the darkness with your power of light." 

Lady Serenity shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm tired of fighting, Mama. I lost everything the last time I battled. I can't fight darkness anymore." 

A look of anger passed over Cosmos' face. "Then you let me and my comrades die in vain," she said. And with that, she was gone. 

* * * * * 

Maigo sat alone in his chambers, staring at the intricate patterns on the stone walls via a flickering candle. He was not looking for anything specific. In fact, his mind was far away from the place where he sat. 

"Maigo, I'm coming in!" a voice announced. Maigo allowed himself a slight grimace before Hacate opened the door and entered the room. A bit more light flooded in as the hinges creaked the door open. 

"What's with you?" Hacate asked sharply, helping herself to a seat next to him. So it seemed she had been healed from the last battle. It made sense. Their master had healed his wounds as well. But he sensed something else about her, something stronger. Could it be a new power granted to her? Not caring to know, the dark young man turned his face away from his sharp-tongued comrade. 

"Why should you care?" he muttered. "Shouldn't you be off kissing Lord Oni's feet or something?" 

Hacate laughed, her shrieking tone irritated Maigo to no end, but he did not express it. "I don't have to do anything," she declared. "Lord Oni has promised to make me his queen once we take over Crystal Palace. I'll be ruler over that brat Lady Serenity." 

Maigo glanced skeptically up at her. "How can you be so sure Lord Oni will fulfill his promise?" he asked. 

At that suggestion, Hacate's face fell deadly serious. She stared hard at Maigo with cold stone eyes. "Lord Oni would never betray me," she said. "He loves me." 

Maigo scoffed as he stood up. "Lord Oni loves nothing but himself. Even I knew that when I joined him. But there was something I needed from him, and still do. That's the only reason I fight despite knowing the intentions of his black heart." With that, he turned his back Hacate, who searched her love-struck mind desperately for a way to defend against the truths put before her. 

"And what are his intentions?" she asked sarcastically. Maigo still did not turn around to answer her. 

"To destroy everything," he said. "And I fear that may include us as well." With that, he walked out of the room. There was no point in waiting for a desperate excuse or reply from Hacate. Her love was far too blind to accept the truth. She would do whatever Lord Oni told her until her dying breath. Somewhere in his heart, Maigo wished he could save her from her foolishness, but right now he wondered if there was a chance to save himself. The energy building up from the Asteroid Senshi was still fairly low. They couldn't do much now without arousing suspicion. But still... something was bothering him. Something he was determined to settle before he took one step further in this plan. 

The corridor leading the way to Lord Oni's chamber was far darker and more foreboding than any other passageway in the castle. Really, when Maigo thought about it, it made his room look like a summer picnic. As he walked along, soon the flames from the torches that lines the wall began to flicker low, and then they vanished. It was now pitch black, but somehow Maigo's feet still knew were to step, as if some force was calling him towards itself. 

Maigo stopped suddenly. He couldn't let himself be taken over. He had to be in his right mind when he confronted Lord Oni. As his feet held firm to their place, a dark and low-sounding laughter could be heard in front of him. 

"Nice work," his master's voice said. "You are far less easy to control than Hacate." 

Maigo lowered his head and smiled slyly. "So you admit she is under your control then?" he asked. Lord Oni laughed again. 

"You ask like it's a surprise," he said. "Of course, there was some passion for me when I first came to her. I had to work with it and intensify it with my power to get her to be as loyal as she is now." 

"And what about me?" Maigo asked. "How am I bound to you?" 

"Why, only by your desire to know the answers to your questions," he said. "Though certainly if you have no more desire to know where you came from, by all means, leave." There was a shuffling of armor and Maigo could hear that his master was leaning in closer to him. "Of course, you will die along with every other living thing that is not on my side at the uprising," he whispered. 

Maigo's blood ran cold at the sound of his master's voice, but he did not show it. 

"When we first joined you, you said you wanted to rule the millennium," he said. "Now you want to destroy it. Which is it?" 

The voice laughed. "All in good time, my loyal servant," he said. "All in good time. Now leave. I must rest before this afternoon. Hacate is already on her way to capture the last of the Asteroid senshi. You should go with her." 

"You granted her a new power, didn't you?" Maigo asked, still not moving. "Tell me, what is it?" 

He was being bold and he knew it, but Master Oni's patience seemed to be stronger than usual this morning. 

"Why don't you go and see for yourself?" he asked. With that, the first beam of light filled the room as a portal opened up in the wall beside Maigo. Now his sly smile was plain to see as he walked up to the exit. He had placed one foot inside, before he heard his master's voice behind him, 

"Oh, and Maigo?" 

"Yes sir?" 

"Come into my chambers without permission again and I will tear your flesh and feed it to the insects, understand?" 

"Of course, master."   



	13. Chapter 12

**After the Battle, Chapter 12**   
Author's Notes: Hey, I'm updating more often now. ^_^ I got a couple comments that the characters were getting hard to keep track of, so I tried to reference their planets a bit more in this chapter and the later ones. Thanks for reading. -Katrina 

* * *

_"Should we help them yet?"___

_"The situation appears to be turning for the worst."___

_"No. No, not yet. They may still have a chance."___

_"But, your Highness..."___

_"Enough. Just wait. We'll see soon enough if we are needed."_

* * * * * 

Sailor Vesta walked cautiously through the swirling fog at her feet. She wasn't sure how she and the children of Pluto and Saturn had managed to get thrown off course, and it seemed like she wasn't sure on how to get them out either. Not that fog was that much of a danger, but the sun was beginning to set now. If they couldn't find their way back to Crystal Palace soon, it would begin to get dark, and Vesta feared for the safety of young Sakura. 

There was a small grunt and Sailor Vesta turned around. Sakura stumbled up a small hill just behind her, trying to hold up the Silence Glaive. But even at its reduced size, she still kept knocking it into things everywhere she stepped. 

Kaiya, the daughter of Pluto, smiled and walked over to her. 

"Do you want help with that?" she offered. Sakura shook her head, her soft red hair glistening in the setting sun's beams. 

"No thank you, Kaiya-san. I can handle it myself." 

Kaiya smiled and shook her head. "Always a lady, that's our Sakura," she said, then turned back to her brother. 

"What do you think, Hoshi? Are we getting any closer?" 

Hoshi placed his hand on his forehead to shield his eyes, glancing at the path they'd come down and the one ahead of them. Both seem to fade quickly into darkness, and Crystal Palace was still nowhere in sight. The only thing to give them any bearings was a cluster of trees further on ahead, and even those seemed to be fading in the increasing fog. 

"I can't tell," he said. "And I'm getting an eerie feeling about this. I can't help but think we're walking into someone's trap." 

Sakura's eyes widened and Kaiya glared at her brother. 

"Do you have to scare her like that?" she asked. Hoshi shrugged his shoulders. 

"I'm only saying what you asked me." He turned to their guardian. "Sailor Vesta?" he asked. But somehow she wasn't responding. "Vesta-san?" he asked again with concern. The asteroid senshi still did not reply, she only stood staring at the ground, hand clutched to her chest. It was then that Kaiya finally figured out what was going on. 

"My gosh!" she yelled out. "She can't breathe!" Quickly, the daughter of Pluto ran to her guardian's side, just in time to catch her as she passed out of consciousness. Fear crept into Kaiya's normally strong spirit as she watched Vesta's lips turn from pink to blue. "What's wrong?" she yelled, knowing full well she would get no response. "Vesta, what's wrong with you?!" 

"Kaiya, calm down," Hoshi said, kneeling next to her. 

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" Kaiya snapped. "Vesta could be dying and we're just sitting here!" There were times when she loved her brother for his tranquil demeanor, other times she hated him for it. Now was one of those times. 

"Vesta will be fine," Hoshi assured her. "You forget we have a healer in our midst." He motioned over to Sakura, who nodded and walked slowly up to Vesta's weakening body. 

"I've only used it in practice," she said quietly, setting her weapon down next to her. 

"It's okay," said Hoshi. "It is power innate to the people of Saturn. Even if you had never used it before, you will still succeed." Confident in her friend's words, Sakura nodded and placed her hands over Sailor Vesta. 

"Guardian Saturn, lend me your healing wind. I call upon you to give me to power to save those I love." As Sakura spoke, she seemed to go into a trance, and her hands glowed with a soft purple light. As the light touched her face, the blueness began to retreat from Vesta's lips, as oxygen returned to her body. When the light faded, she was breathing normally again, only now it was Sakura who looked as if she would pass out. 

"Are you okay?" Kaiya asked worriedly. Sakura smiled. 

"Yes, it just drains me, that's all." Keeping one hand on the Silence Glaive, she laid her head on Hoshi's shoulder to rest. "How's Vesta-san?" 

"Better," Kaiya admitted. "I think she's waking up." 

Vesta was beginning to stir, but before she could open her eyes completely, an eerie laugh filled the air around them. 

"What was that?" Kaiya asked. Hoshi looked around them. While the group of them had been tending to Sailor Vesta, no one noticed the fog building increasingly around them. 

"Oh no," he whispered. 

"Oh no is right!" a woman's voice laughed. Hoshi turned back to his sister and Sailor Vesta, but it was already too late. Vesta's body was vanishing in Kaiya's arms. 

"Vesta!" Kaiya screamed. "Vesta, come back to us!" But it was too late; she had already disappeared completely. Kaiya was ready to scream again, but suddenly she felt Hoshi touching her shoulder. 

"I think the fog is what caused her to stop breathing in the first place," he explained. "So wherever she is now, she is probably safe." 

"Correct on the first guess," the disembodied voice called again. "But not quite right on the second." The fog began to thicken and grow dark. Kaiya grabbed Sakura and held her close in her arms, while Hoshi took the Silence Glaive. The young princess of Saturn was still weakened from using her healing powers, and she fell asleep almost instantly in Kaiya's arms. 

"What do we do now?" Kaiya whispered. 

"Tell me, young senshi," the voice continued, only now it sounded much more gentler, like an older sibling talking to her younger brother and sister. "What brings you all the way out here, into this wilderness?" 

"That's none of your concern," Hoshi began to say, but then Kaiya interrupted him, 

"We came here searching for our fathers." 

"Ah," the voice seemed to say knowingly. There was a pause of dark silence before she continued, "But tell me, little prince, little princess. Why would you search for something that isn't there?" 

"What do you mean?" Kaiya demanded, holding Sakura closer to her. 

"Why, I mean of course, that it is futile to search for your fathers out here, or anywhere. They passed away long ago." 

At the woman's words, Kaiya felt pain stab at her heart, but Hoshi was not so easily taken in. 

"How would you know anything of what happened to our fathers?" he demanded. "Not even Lady Serenity knows that." 

"Why my dear child," she replied. "It is only a matter of logic. You've seen the fate that befell your mothers, I'm sure many times." Hoshi tried to push away images of the shrine, of his mother and her fellow planetary guardians, not in physical form, but as fleeting ghosts, thriving only the weakening power of Cosmos to keep them alive. He could not touch her, could not hold her, and even speaking with her was limited to the time Cosmos could stand it before they had to rest again. 

"If that is the fate of the Solar Senshi, the strongest senshi in the galaxy, just what makes you think the Knights, known to be weaker than they are, survived at all?" 

Hoshi felt himself growing more and more desperate. The painful part was that all she said was true. Why did they have hope? Why did they come out here? If his father were alive, why had he not contacted him as his mother had? Why was there any reason in going on? As Hoshi stood there, the reflection in his eyes began to fade. 

"Enough!" Kaiya yelled, holding the Garnet Orb up the dark fog. "I'm not listening to your crap anymore!" Hoshi shook his head to snap himself back to reality. Leave it to his sister to never agree with anything, even doubt. 

"Hoshi, hold Sakura for me," she said, placing the little girl into his free arm. After the girl was safe, Kaiya gripped the Garnet Rod as strongly as she could and yelled out, "Pluto Dead Scream!" The orb on her staff immediately glowed with power, sending a shock into the fog around them. The woman's tempting voice quickly became a scream, and before them suddenly appeared her figure, dressed all in black, kneeling down and clutching the wound at her side. 

"Not bad," she said, still keeping her cool. "Though why attack me, I don't understand. I was only speaking the truth." She held her hand out to Hoshi, who immediately began to watch her with intent gaze. Apparently his sister had not totally brought him out of this woman's spell. 

"No!" Kaiya yelled. "I don't believe anything you say!" 

The woman smiled as she straightened up, taking a step towards the young girl. "It is the destiny of the guardian of Pluto to feel loneliness, isn't that right?" the woman asked, moving closer with each word. "Your mother spent nearly all her life, alone at the gate of time. Shouldn't you get used to the idea of solitude rather than attach yourself to these fleeting dreams?" 

"I don't... believe you," Kaiya whispered, though her voice hardly backed up her words. 

"Your brother has already seen the truth," the woman went on. She motioned back to Hoshi, whose normally bright eyes had become glazed over in a trance, still caught up in the spell the witch had begun to pull him into earlier. And Kaiya feared that her eyes were beginning to look the same. Fear and doubt crept into her, she saw her mother and father dying at the Galaxy Cauldron, leaving her and her brother forever. Why did they bother to fight? Why not just give up now? Kaiya felt the woman's cold hand touch her cheek, and she did not move to resist it. If anything, she welcomed it. 

"Join us..." a tempting voice whispered. "Give all this up. Join us." The last words did it. Kaiya loosened her grip on the Garnet Rod, the sacred treasure fell with a thud to the ground beside her.   
  



	14. Chapter 13

**After the Battle, Chapter 13**   
****

Slowly the princess of Saturn began to open her eyes. Why was she so weak. As she struggled to stand up, Sakura rubbed her eyes and remembered. They were attacked by some woman dressed in black. Sailor Vesta had stopped breathing and she had used her healing power to save her. But as Sakura looked around, she saw that Vesta had vanished, and instead of being at her side, Kaiya and Hoshi stood obediently next to the same woman who had attacked them. Sakura looked in horror over at her friends. Their eyes... they weren't normal. 

"Kaiya-san?" she asked fearfully. "Hoshi-san?" 

"They don't hear you," the woman replied. "They have given themselves into my power. Haven't you, children?" In response, Hoshi bent down on one knee and took the sorceress' hand in his own, kissing her wrist. 

"We are at your service, Mistress Hecate," Kaiya said. 

"Kaiya-san, why would you do something like this?" Sakura demanded. 

"Don't you see?" Kaiya asked. "This is the only way we can find happiness. It's not back there in Crystal Palace, where they didn't give us any answers. It's here, beside Mistress Hecate and Master Oni." 

"Master Oni?" Sakura asked. "Who's that?" 

"If you come with us, you can find out," said Hoshi, laying his hand on Sakura's shoulder. It felt just as warm and welcoming as it always had. "You won't have to deal with not knowing the answers anymore..." As Hoshi spoke, Sakura glanced over at Kaiya. The young princess saw her gaze and smiled back at her. It was strange, Sakura observed, but Kaiya for once, actually looked happy. But there was something about this happiness. It wasn't real. It was only being fed to her by her new mistress, who was all but completely controlling her mind. Surely that could be solution to their problems, could it? 

"Sakura! Kaiya! Hoshi!" The prince of Pluto lifted his head, interrupting Sakura's train of thought.. A chorus of voices could be heard coming towards them from the outside. But they would never find their way into the fog, not with the spell that kept it sealed off. Unless, of course... 

"Sounds like we've got company," said Hecate. "Children, show them in, will you?" 

"Of course, mistress," said Kaiya. She raised her hand and immediately a section of the fog lifted like a curtain, allowing the children of the inner and outer planets to run into the space where Hecate and the others stood. Somehow or another, the groups had found each other. 

"Everyone!" Sakura cried, running over to her friends. Kasami caught the small girl in her arms. 

"What's wrong?" Kasami asked. She noticed the girl was shaking violently. "Did someone hurt you?" she demanded. Sakura only shook her head and buried her face in Kasami's arms. How could she possibly tell them that her own friends turned on her? It was have been something she did wrong, she reasoned. Unfortunately, the cover-up was worth nothing. Kaiya and Hoshi were only to proud to step forward and show their new allegiance. 

"If you're looking for Sailor Juno, she's already gone to Master Oni," Kaiya informed them. "The revolution will soon be starting." 

"Revolution?" Kasami questioned. Meanwhile, Marie stood typing frantically at her computer. 

"Kaiya and Hoshi's powers have changed," she announced. "I'm not sure how, but they're stronger than before." 

Ryou's eyes narrowed. "They've been possessed by the enemy," he observed. Then, raising his voice he demanded, "Were you going to try and possess Sakura too?" For a moment, Kaiya seemed shocked. 

"I'm not possessed," she replied. "You're my friends, and I don't want to fight. As far as Sakura goes, I was just trying to tell her the truth." 

"And what truth would that be?" Akio asked. 

"Think about it... why have our fathers never shown themselves to us?" A hush fell over the group of children. The unspoken answer, no one knew where their fathers were. They had traveled out here and looked long and hard and come up with nothing. An uneasy doubt fell in the hearts of all the senshi, but only Hoshi voiced it out loud. 

"The knights are gone," he announced. "And we all know it's only a matter of time before the Sailor senshi are too. We can't hold onto the past. We have to look towards the future." 

"But we are looking towards the future!" Reika yelled, stepping forward. "Every time we train with Pallas or the others, every time we use our powers, we're looking towards the future! We're looking at the Sailor Senshi we will become one day!" 

"And where will that lead us?" Kaiya asked. "Throwing our lives away? Living out our faint existence in some cold stone shrine like our mothers? I'm sorry, but that's not the future I choose." 

"So you choose this?" the daughter of Venus demanded. "Working for this witch, that's better than being the planetary guardian you were destined to be? Oh yes, your mother would have loved that." 

"My mother left me!" Kaiya yelled. "She had her chance to go to that Cauldron or stay with me and she went!" As Kaiya spoke, a ball of dark energy began to form in her hands. She didn't want to attack, but she couldn't stand listening to everyone's twisted logic anymore. She had given in to forget the pain, to live a new life. And if they didn't understand that, then they would have to be punished. 

"Enough!" A voice suddenly rang through the darkness. Hecate gasped as she looked up. There in front of her stood Maigo. 

"Only you would figure out how to teleport in here," she muttered. 

"And only you would stoop to taking on the young senshi as your servants," he retorted. With that, he raised his hand and suddenly the strange mist surrounding everyone began to fade, and with it, the glazed look in the eyes of the children of Pluto. Within moments, the forest appeared as exactly as it did before. Kasami and Akio immediately ran to the sides of their allies. Kaiya was rubbing her head and Hoshi looked as if he had just woken up from a hard nap. 

"It's was the mist that was keeping them that way," he explained. Then glaring at Hecate he added on, "A new trick from Master Oni." 

"Kaiya and Hoshi mentioned him when they were under Hecate's control," Sakura said. "Who is Master Oni?" 

To this, Maigo simply turned his head and did not respond, which only got Kasami more frustrated. "You do care about us!" she yelled. "You came here to rescue us! So why don't you tell us who you're working for? We can help you be free, just like you helped us." 

"Shut up!" Maiga yelled. At the sound of his voice, he saw Anzino and Sakura pulled backwards and sighed, lowering his voice. "Unfortunately, unlike your friends, there's no spell holding me to Master Oni," he explained calmly this time. "I want to know who I am, and where I come from. Only Master Oni has the answers to those questions. Therefore, I have no choice but to follow him." 

"But he can't be the only one who had those answers," Marie objected. "We're out looking for our fathers. We want to know our past as well. But we're going to do it without giving into the darkness. Right, guys?" She turned her attention towards Kaiya and Hoshi, now more coming to their senses. Kaiya smiled and took hold of the Garnet Rod, just as she had left it. 

"Right," she said. Then, turning to the rest of her comrades she said, "Please forgive my brother and I." 

"Aw, don't get like that," said Ai cheerfully. "We knew you weren't turn against us that long." 

"Please," Anzino begged, looking into Maiga's deep green eyes. She could see it, as everyone could. He wasn't an enemy. He was just confused. If only there was some way to bring him back... 

"Even if I wanted to join you," Maigo said softly. "It's too late now."   



	15. Chapter 14

**After the Battle, Chapter 14**   
****

"What do you mean, too late?" Reika demanded, the anger of Mars burning fiercely inside of her. Maigo shook his head. 

"The last of the Asteroid Senshi is captured. Our master will arise soon." 

"You mean Oni?" Reika asked. "Who is he? What is he after?" Maigo turned his face away, silent to her cries. 

"Answer a princess when she speaks to you," came a voice from behind them. Everyone turned around to see that the dark covering around them had suddenly fallen, blotted out by a shinning white light. And when the light cleared, there stood a young woman with long pink hair, holding a crystal staff. 

"Lady Serenity!" the princess of Saturn exclaimed. "You came for us." 

The queen smiled. "Of course, Sakura. You didn't think I'd leave you in danger." 

At the sight of the queen, Hecate's eyes widened in terror. Slowly, she tried to slip away unnoticed, but Lady Serenity's auburn eyes quickly found their way to her. The terror wasn't hers; she was feeling it for someone else. Someone for whom the king and queen of Crystal Tokyo were the only ones standing between him and his goal. Again, Lady Serenity raised her staff. 

"Wake up!" she commanded. "Back to your normal self!" The staff blazed forth with light, but this time the light was aimed directly at Hecate. As it connected with her body, the woman let out a loud scream, a dark blue mist seeming to arise from her. When it was gone, she fell down onto her knees, looking very dazed and confused. 

"Wh-wha?" she managed to stammer out. "What happened? Where am I?" The surrounding children watched the scene in awe. Hecate had been under a spell just as Hoshi and Kaiya were, but now through the power of the Silver Crystal, it was gone. Serenity, smiled, happy to have a done a service for this woman, but the joy was to be short-lived as suddenly the darkness around them began building once again, the ground shaking violently beneath their feet. 

"You idiot!" Maigo yelled. 

"Watch how you address the queen!" Kaiya snapped. 

"I'm calling her an idiot because she is one!" Maigo yelled back. "By lifting the spell from Hecate, she's let Oni know exactly where we are!" 

"That's what I want!" Lady Serenity called out. "If he's going to try and take over this planet, he will have to deal with it's king and queen first." She held the staff firm, showing the crystal on top of it to the darkening clouds. Helios smiled. How much his wife was like the former queen - so full of strength and nobility, willing to do whatever it took to protect those she loved. He only hoped his own strength was as fitting. With that, Helios closed his eyes. In his hand also appeared a staff, a golden one, it's head in the shape of a crown. This was the power of the Golden Crystal. 

"You're insane!" Maigo cried. "Why do you think I warned you to run away from here? Oni is too powerful, you're destined to lose!" 

The king and queen did not move from their positions. Maigo groaned; his pleas were no doubt falling on deaf ears. Suddenly, the boy felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw that it was the Pluto girl. What was her name... Kaiya? 

"Don't worry," Kaiya assured him. "Our king and queen will protect us. Don't underestimate the power of the Silver Crystal." 

"I'm not underestimating it," Maigo said with a shake of his head. "Your problem is that the Silver Crystal's power is in the wrong hands." 

"What?" Kaiya gasped, but before she had a chance to ask any further questions, the ground began to shake again and in front them appeared what looked to be some kind of shadow... a shadow with red eyes. 

"Are you Oni?" Lady Serenity demanded. The shadow nodded, for however much it is possible for a shadow to nod. 

"And you are Lady Serenity," it said with a voice that sent chills up the children's spine and even the queen's as well, although she did not show it. "I can tell from your face, it is just like your mother's." 

For a moment, the queen's face softened. "You knew my mother?" she asked. 

"I didn't, no, but my mother did. Our parents fought in a great battle that was to decide the fate of this galaxy. We were almost victorious, but that wretched queen, that Cosmos, followed us into the Cauldron and destroyed her. I too, was almost dead. But somehow I managed to linger on, fueled by my anger and thirst for revenge. And now, ironically enough, here us children have come to settle what our mothers started." 

Lady Serenity's eyes widened in terror. She knew full well who Oni was speaking of. But that couldn't be... "You are... Sailor Chaos' child?" she asked. 

"Correct!" Oni answered. "And I shall take my rightful place as king of this new millennium." 

"No you won't!" Helios yelled out, pointing his staff forward. "Golden Earth Crystal Power!" he called. Lady Serenity followed the lead. 

"Silver Moon Crystal Power!" she yelled. The two staffs blazed forth with energy. She could feel Helios love for her through the crystal, her own love for him emanating through hers. Is this what it felt like, she wondered, all those times when her mama and papa stood side by side to guard the earth, with only their power of love to guide them. It must be, she thought. When they were together, they were invisible. She and Helios would be the same. Only now Oni didn't seemed nearly as concerned as he should have been. Casually he closed his eyes and reached out towards the royal light. And, as the children watch in horror, the power of Serenity staff seemed to darken, draining in towards him until it barely glowed at all. The queen sank down to her knees and King Helios broke his concentration to try and see if she was alright and what had happened. Seeing his opportunity, Oni pushed his hand forward with such a great force of energy that it knocked both King Helios and Lady Serenity to the ground. 

"Your highnesses!" the princess of Saturn ran up to her king and queen's side. "Your highnesses! What happened?" Weakly, Helios pulled himself up. 

"I don't know..." he said. "We were so strong at first, but then I felt the power of Chibiusa's Silver Crystal grow dull, almost cold." He turned over to his wife and felt her cheek. "She's passed out." 

Above them, Oni laughed. "Do you see now that it is impossible for you to win?" he asked. 

"Tell us what you did to the queen!" Akio demanded, holding up his shield and showing the proud symbol of Neptune to his opponent. 

"Simple," Oni replied. "Through the use of the senshi of the Asteroids, the power of the Silver Crystal is now mine."   



	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15  
  
"The power of the Silver Crystal is yours...?" Akio questioned. He shook his head. "It's not possible! I won't believe it!"  
  
"It's really not that complicated. Have you forgotten why it is the Asteroid Senshi were so powerful in the first place?" Oni questioned. "Their power comes from that crystal."  
  
The queen gasped. Now it made sense, why he had been trying to collect the Asteroid senshi while leaving the children alone. It was because, while each of their children drew power from their own respective planets, as Lady Serenity's guardians, the Asteroid senshi drew directly from her power. It was the gift she had bestowed upon them when she first became queen, to help them better defend the young senshi against any threats. Only now Oni was using that gift to pull energy away from the Silver Crystal.  
  
"Then..." said Hoshi, getting to his feet. "Then we will defeat you."  
  
At this, Oni merely laughed. Stretching out a dark hand, he swiped it across the mid, creating a devastating blow that knocked all the children, and the king and queen to their knees.  
  
"This is it," Helios thought. "I've failed in my duty to protect her. And the children. It ends here." He closed his eyes and prepared for the inevitable, but suddenly just as the force of Oni's blast should have hit him, it was deferred. He wasn't sure by what, but as he opened his eyes, he saw a red rose embedded in the ground in front of him. Slowly, Lady Serenity began to come to her senses. When she saw the rose, she felt her heart beating up in her throat.  
  
"It couldn't be..." she whispered. Images flashed before her mind, memories of times before. No, this was a cruel joke. She had believed far too many times only to be let down that her father would ever come back. She would not believe it now and be hurt again. But even as she turned her face away from the flower, a figure jumped down between her and Oni. A figure with a flowing lavender cape.  
  
"Get your hands away from my daughter, demon!" he demanded. The voice was strong and true. Lady Serenity would know it anywhere, even all these years later.  
  
"Papa!" she gasped.  
  
"Your Majesty!" Helios echoed. The man turned around and smiled at the couple. His hair was dark as the night sky, his eyes a clear blue sapphire. Chibiusa's heart raced at the sight of him, a million questions flying through her head as rality began to set in for her. Why did he disappear for so long? Didn't he know how much her mother longed for him? Didn't he know how much she herself longed for him? But sitting there, looking into his face, just as lovingly perfect as the day she last saw him, no words came to the queen's lips. Only a dully whispered name, "Papa."  
  
The former king bent down in front of her. It was then that she saw that he was somewhat translucent, as Cosmos was, but somehow it did not seem to affect his power. "I'm so sorry, Chibiusa," he said.  
  
"Your highness, if I may, there is still an enemy in front of us," another voice said. The children looked up in awe to see another man, this one with deep brown hair, short in comparison to the king, but they did not doubt his power. And somehow from behind him, appeared seven other figures. All of them bore impressive armor, each a different color. On one side of their waist was a sword, the other a shield with a planetary symbol engraved on the side.  
  
"And who are you?" Oni demanded. The man pulled his sword from his sheath. His comrades followed suit.  
  
"Forgive the late introductions. My name is Urawa Mizuno. I am the former knight of Mercury."  
  
"Yuuichiro Hino, of Mars."  
  
"Asai Aino, of Venus"  
  
"Shinozaki Kino, of Jupiter"  
  
"Hallen Meioh, of Pluto"  
  
"Taylor Tenou, of Uranus."  
  
"Nathan Kaiou, of Neptune."  
  
"Elias Tomoe, of Saturn."  
  
"And of course," said the king, stepping forward. "Mamoru Chiba, of Earth. Otherwise known to you and King Endymion."  
  
Maigo watched the whole scene in complete awe. He was always told that the knights had died, yet there they were in front of him, protecting their loved ones at all costs. And for the first time since he had shown himself, Oni's eyes reflected fear.  
  
"Don't think you can frighten me with names!" he yelled out. "You're just ghosts! You have no power left in you."  
  
"Care to test that?" Yuuichiro spat angrily. Endymion shook his head. Yuuichiro always passionate. Rash, but passionate nonetheless.  
  
Watching her father, Reika felt her legs quiver as she tried to step forward. A dream or another vision, she didn't care. This was what they had waited for. These were the people they had been searching for.  
  
"Papa..." she said quietly. Yuuichiro turned around and looked at her, looked right into her eyes. For a moment, she saw her mother in those eyes. Perhaps they were never really apart. "Papa," she repeated boldly. "Let us fight with you."  
  
Yuuichiro looked surprised, but he did not object. He really didn't have the time to. For upon Reika's suggestion, each of the other young senshi took up their weapons and stood beside her.  
  
"We are here to protect earth as well," said Akio. His sister next to him looked a bit hesitant. The former knight of Neptune stepped forward.  
  
"Something wrong?" he asked his young daughter. She turned her face away, looking as if she was about to cry.  
  
"Mama's mirror, I lost it," she chocked out. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"You didn't lose it," her father replied. "Look here." At this he reached behind his back and pulled out what looked to be a broken mirror. But as Michiko took it in her hands, the object suddenly began to glow. She could feel it growing warm and the shape actually morphing beneath her skin. And when the light had dulled once more it more no longer a mirror, but a beautiful crystalline violin. Michiko held the instrument awestruck.  
  
"But... I don't know how to play it," she stuttered. Then turning to her brother, she held it out. "You take it, Akio. You play violin very pretty."  
  
Akio shook his head and pushed the weapon away. "I can't take it," he said. "That belongs to Sailor Neptune, to you." But Michiko insistently held it out to him again.  
  
"Mama would want you to have it," she said.  
  
"You do play the violin quite well," Nathan said. Akio looked at his father in shock.  
  
"You've... heard me?" he asked. He had played concerts for the king and queen several times, but the thought never occurred to him that somehow, from some place, the father he longed for was listening to him. Then again, maybe he felt his presence the whole time.  
  
"Your mother spirit is in you," Nathan said. "As is mine. Always." Akio smiled and rubbed the tears away from his eyes. He certainly couldn't have his father watch his only son bawling. At least, that would have to wait until later. There was too much to be done now.  
  
"Let's rip this guy up!" he yelled, taking the violin and handing Michiko the shield. The others eagerly agreed. And the queen of Neo Crystal Tokyo was the first to rise.  
  
"For our future!" she announced, raising her staff. The knights and their children gathered around her, their hearts uniting in a single wish. 


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
  
Author's Notes: First of all, thanks for everyone who's started to leave me reviews again. I want to apologize to everyone, especially Secret and others who had characters in this fic, who waited so long for me to actually get this story posted. I have to admit, the lack of reviews really kind of discouraged me, but as long as I've got at least one or two readers, I'm happy for it. This is the second to last chapter of the story. Enjoy. -Katrina  
  
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Maigo knew that Oni didn't stand a chance. He knew it the moment that rose fell into the earth. His power... it was nothing compared to theirs. They had too much at stake, too much to lose to give into him. And of course, the power of Sailor Cosmos. That legendary power that had won the battle with Chaos. It never really left them.  
  
At first, Oni tried to shield the oncoming attack. Summoning his power, an invisible forcefield pushed the white light away from him.  
  
Lowering her power level, however, young Marie reached for the computer visor covering her right eye. The figures and numerals flashed across the screen, searching for their enemy's weakness. To anyone else, it might have been nothing more than babble, but to her, it was the key to unlocking their success in this mission.  
  
"The barrier is strong, but it has a weak point," she announced. "Aim towards the base."  
  
"I can sense it," Reika added. "He's putting all his energy into this. If we break through the barrier, we break through him."  
  
"Then let me help," said Akio, also backing away and taking the violin granted to him in hand. The rest of the group struggled to keep their power level the same, silently begging their friends to hurry, but the crystal bow instantly found its place and flowed across the strings like water on smooth rocks.  
  
Upon hearing the music, Oni winced notably, and the princess of Saturn was quick to take full advantage of it.  
  
"Stop it..." Oni cursed. "That song... stop it!"  
  
"Evil monster!" she yelled. "Leave us forever!" A final slice of her glaive, at the base of the barrier, was all it took. The white light pierced through Oni's body, in moments leaving him as nothing more than a pile of dust and a nightmarish memory.  
  
As the last few sparks of darkness began to fade, King Endymion knelt down.  
  
"Are you alright?" Lady Serenity asked with concern. He seemed tired, she supposed that was expected. But something else in his face indicated that he was suffering from more than just fatigue.  
  
"I will be," said Endymion. "But first, let's hurt back to the shrine. I want to see your mother... just once more."  
  
Just once more? The words of death echoed heavily in Chibiusa's mind. Her soul raced to protect itself from the pain. But before her lips could voice their concern, her father put a single finger to her lips to calm her.  
  
"Don't fret my little one. Everything will work out okay. I promise you that."  
  
Meanwhile, deep within the shrine, Cosmos fell to her knees, unknowingly at the same moment as Endymion. Venus was the first to snap to attention.  
  
"Your highness?" she asked with concern. "Your highness... what's wrong?"  
  
"I can feel it..." Cosmos whispered. "My power... it is finally depleted." The other senshi fell silent. No one wanted to believe it, but who was to argue? As she sat collapsed in her cold crystal prison, tears began to fall relentlessly from Cosmos' cheeks. "Endymion... I don't want to die alone."  
  
Uranus watched the scene in emotional torture. She had always devoted her life to making sure her queen was safe and happy. And yet now there was nothing she could do to sooth the tears or the pain that caused them. "I'll never forgive him," Uranus said angrily.  
  
Neptune turned to scold her angry comrade, but at that moment, the door to the shrine swung open. Quickly, the children entered the room, the Asteroid Senshi standing off the to side. Gently, they lifted their energy gems into the air, summoning their power to bring the senshi to visible form. Cosmos, however, turned her back to the scene. If she was going to fade away, she at least didn't want to children's last memories to be of her crying.  
  
Hoshi was first to kneel down in front of the shrine, Kaiya at his side. "Your highness..." said the prince of Pluto. "We have returned from our mission successfully. We encountered several enemies along the way, but also gained some new allies who were able to help us in the defeat of the threat to our kingdom. And now, I would like to present to you, the knights of the solar system."  
  
As he spoke, a shadow of images appeared around him. At first, merely nothing more than the passing of a wind, their spirits took form and stepped boldly in the view of reality. Urawa, Yuuichiro, Asai, and Shinozaki across from the pillars of the inner senshi. Taylor, Nathan, Hallen, and Elias from the pillars of the outer senshi.  
  
In one part of her heart, she felt happiness for her friends, but another felt herself fading away by the second. And felt it was alone. Why did they get to know happiness at this moment of death when she knew only sorrow? And yet somewhere even in the darkest part of her heart, a voice told her not to give up her desperate cling on hope just yet...  
  
"Usako." That voice. That warm and gentle voice caressed her ears. After waiting so long to hear it. Did she dare to turn around?  
  
"Usako," the voice called again. "I'm home." Now her body turned on its own; the voice called her eyes to it.  
  
"Mamo-chan..." she whispered the name, like sweet nectar to the lips of Tantalus. "Mamo-chan, after all this time, is it really you?"  
  
"It's me, Usako," he said. "I'm sorry I took so long to come to you." But Usagi wasn't interested in excuses. She jumped off the pillar where she knelt and ran, gaining full form, into his arms. And he embraced her. Lady Serenity would wonder for years to come how it happened, but somehow these two who could not touch anything before, stood their embracing each other, feeling the warm touch of each other's skin, in an un breakable moment that time could not stop.  
  
And as the queen leapt into the arms of her beloved, so the rest of her guardians left the safety of their shrines to embrace their lovers as well.  
  
"It took you long enough," Haruka muttered, but with a smile on her face. Maybe no one else could tell, but she had her own way of expressing her love.  
  
"I missed you too," Taylor said, holding her gently in his arms.  
  
"Why were you gone so long?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"I'm sorry, my angel," said Elias. "But it was the only way we could keep you alive."  
  
Hotaru looked up confused, turning to watch the former king to see if perhaps he had any answers.  
  
"When I saw that the Cauldron was going to take you, I screamed out that I wouldn't let it happen. The Knights all felt the same. So instead of giving up the last of our energy to the Cauldron, we relinquished it to keep you from being completely swallowed up."  
  
"So it was you..." breathed Usagi, her shoulders heaving up and down in Mamoru's grasp. "You were the reason my power sustained as long as it did. You were the reason we were able to stay here and watch our children grow."  
  
"Yes," said Mamoru sadly. "But I can't help but feel that I have done you and the children a great disservice. You suffered not knowing where we were, and if we were to try and contact you, you might lose what power you had left." He hung his head in shame. "I'm a failure to you, as both a father and a husband."  
  
Usagi shook her head, and lifted his tear-stained face to meet her own. "No," she said softly. "You are the most wonderful thing that has happened to me. And you helped save our kingdom. Our children will go on because of you and the knights."  
  
"And you and the senshi," finished Mamoru. "Let's not forget who it was that defeated Chaos in the first place."  
  
Usagi smiled. "It was a long time ago... and I'm tired from fighting. I'm ready to rest."  
  
"Not yet!" a voice called out. The queen glanced up to see her daughter, the lovely young woman with long pink hair, running through the open doors of the shrine. Her husband followed behind her, each of them holding a small wriggling bundle in their arms.  
  
"As least..." she breathed. "At least the twins will get to see you one more time." She pulled back the blanket to reveal her daughter's innocent little face, its lavender hair and deep purple eyes. Her brother's eyes sparkled of blue, just like his grandfathers, and his bright blonde hair rivaled that of the former queen.  
  
"You see that?" said Lady Serenity, holding Lilith up so her young eyes could take in the scene. "That's your grandmother, my little ones. The most beautiful star in the galaxy." As much as she tried to say the words happily, she found herself chocking back on her own tears. Happiness, of course, at their success, but also sadness and loneliness. For she knew that this time... her mother and the senshi would not be coming back. And from the tears forming in the eyes of her fellow second-generation senshi, she sensed they knew the same.  
  
"Please don't cry," said Ami as she held Urawa tightly in her arms. "All of you... are going to carry on our legacy. We are all so very proud of you." The other nodded in agreement.  
  
"This is the cycle of time," said Setsuna. "The old passes away, but the new flourishes. And so it will continue with you. We are proud to leave our duties in such capable hands."  
  
As she spoke, the children saw the images of their parents growing fainter and fainter before them. Before they vanished completely, each couple came up to give their children one last embrace. Michiko cried as she felt her mother's touch. It had been so long, she barely remembered it. But this she would treasure forever.  
  
"Mama... Papa..." Chibiusa whispered as Usagi and Mamoru wrapped their arms around her. "I love you."  
  
"And we love you," said Cosmos. "Forever, my beautiful daughter." And in that moment, her body vanished. The children looked up to see a rainbow of sparkles traveling up towards the heavens.  
  
"They're happy now," said Helios. "They are together once more."  
  
"Yes," Chibiusa agreed. "Yes, they are." 


	18. Chapter 17

After the Battle by Katrina Kadabra

Chapter 17

The walk away from the shine was very slow. What else could it be, Lady Serenity supposed. Although she was happy her parents' were finally at peace, it was a bittersweet time. Even though death came to a star eventually, something in her had always hoped they would be together forever.  
  
It was ultimately Kaiya who broke the silence, as she glanced shyly in Maigo's direction. He had not entered the shine with the children, but he had been watching from a distance.  
  
"I'm sorry you didn't get your memories back," she said.  
  
"No," said Maigo, shaking his head. "Don't be. The way I was going about it, willing to fight you and even hurt you, I didn't deserve to have my memories back."  
  
Lady Serenity cocked her head as if to disagree with Maigo. Whatever his originally intentions, he had ultimately taken a stand away from Oni's side, and there was no shame to be had in that.  
  
"Well, Kaiya, why don't you try and find his memories for him?" she suggested.  
  
"Me?" Kaiya gasped, almost dropping the Garnet Rod on the ground. "I... can't do that!"  
  
"Why not?" Lady Serenity inquired. "You're Sailor Pluto, aren't you?" Kaiya shifted her feet. That was true enough but...  
  
"Please just try Kaiya," Maigo asked. Kaiya sighed. Something in Maigo's voice stirred her, making her want to try harder.  
  
"Alright," she said, holding up the time staff. "But don't get all angry with me if something goes wrong."  
  
Maigo smiled. "Of course not." At this, Kaiya closed her eyes and tried to concentrate her energy on Maigo. It was essential she be connected with him first, before she attempted to look into his past. Through the darkness, she felt a soft light. Buried deep under years of serving Oni, Maigo's original personality was kind, she could sense that. Now to uncover the memories buried deep within him...  
  
"Guardian of time," she whispered. "Show me this young man's past."  
  
On Kaiya's command, a warm purple light began to pulsate from the orb's center, surrounding both her and Maigo. As the light flared, Kaiya's eyes seemed to follow it off into another place.  
  
"You are a Sailor Knight," he whispered. "But originally you did not have your planet. You were born from a dark power, who was searching for the power of the white moon and the cosmos crystal."  
  
"Oni," Maigo whispered, but Kaiya did not respond.  
  
"You arrived on the moon when you were about eight, during the reign of Queen Serenity of the Silver Millennium. She took you in and began to train you as a knight of the Solar System. Both of your attacks, like those of Sailor Saturn, were highly destructive and therefore could not be used. Queen Serenity granted you a sword of power to defend the princess with. In this time, you began to develop a desire to defeat the Dark Kingdom. But before you could do this, Queen Beryl attacked, destroying everything. You, like the others, were reborn, but in the 30th century instead of the 20th. When Oni found you, he decided to put you to work for him, promising you the truth behind your faded memories."  
  
Suddenly, Kaiya opened her eyes, coming back from the trance that using her power had apparently put her in. Groggily, she rubbed her head.  
  
"Was I right?" she asked.  
  
"Dead on," Maigo said. "It's coming back to me now. Only one thing - Oni told me I had another name besides Maigo. What is it?"  
  
Kaiya thought for a moment, still rubbing her eyes. She had heard another name while under the power of the Garnet Orb. What was it?  
  
"Your real name is Shinwa," she said, smiling.  
  
"Shinwa," the boy repeated, allowing the syllables to flow slowly over his tongue. "I think I like it." He smiled at Kaiya and she returned the favor. As the children headed off on towards Crystal Palace, the queen slowed her pace alongside her husband, her eyes still watching the sky.  
  
"I guess it's true... they're never returning?" Lady Serenity asked sadly.  
  
Helios shook his head. "Physically, I'm quite certain we will not see them again. But they're spirits are with us, as ours will be with Lilith and Adam when we pass on."  
  
The queen smiled. Her king always did have a way of saying things to soothe her spirit just as it needed. And now, and she looked into the bright blue sky, she could almost feel her mother and father's loving eyes looking down at her... they would always be together...  
  
"Usagi! Usagi-chan!"  
  
Usagi stirred. A voice was calling out to her. She opened her eyes to see a figure standing before them, with flowing silver-white hair and a crescent moon on her dress. Around her stood Usagi's allies, and at her side was her love, Mamoru. The atmosphere was quiet, their bodies surrounded by nothing but swirling clouds.  
  
"Queen Serenity!" she gasped as the figure came into full view. The old queen nodded, clasping her hands together in happiness.  
  
"I've waited a long time for you, my lovely daughter. You did well."  
  
Usagi shook her head. "I don't know if I believe that. I was always a crybaby, and I hesitated in battle many times."  
  
At this, Ami stepped forward. "That's not true. You've grown so much from when we first met you," she said. "You've become much stronger."  
  
"And what is an achievement without growth?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Yeah, don't be hard on yourself," Yuuichiro added on. "You did a great job."  
  
Usagi smiled and looked over her friends. Many long hard battles lay behind them, and in front of their children. Thinking back on it, there were probably many things she would've changed. How she fought, how she raised Chibiusa, how she carried on her day to day life. But that life was behind her now. She had no regrets.  
  
"Mamo-chan," she whispered, turning to her prince. "Do you remember what you said to me on our wedding night?"  
  
"I believe so, yes."  
  
"Say it again, just one more time."  
  
Mamoru smiled and put his arms around her, a loving expression Usagi could, and would, forever lose herself in.  
  
"Even someday when we disappear, and new stars are born... Sailor Moon, you will always be invincible. The most beautiful shining star."  
  
_The End!_

_=Quote from the end of Stars, book 3._

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**Author's Notes:** Well, what does everyone think? Right after I finish a story, I always like to go back and review how I think it went. I'm not happy with this story as I've been with others - I think it was far too spread out and the cast was too big. (Boy, I'm full of complaints.) But on the positive side, I'd like to think I did something different and I'm still pretty happy with it. I hope readers are as well. (And I hope you'll accept my apologies for taking forever to finish this. I really should have written the ending first when I was most inspired to do it. ;; Live and learn I guess.)  
  
For the record, as far as this story goes, no the original senshi are not coming back. I think Sailor Moon after so many seasons becomes a bit too predictable, ignoring the fact that even though the senshi have longer lifespans than normal people, eventually they will be gone. This doesn't mean I hate the characters or I'm totally obsessed with death, I just think it makes for a more realistic story. My impression from reading Sailor Moon was that after the senshi's children grew up, their planetary powers would be passed on, as Queen Serenity passed hers onto Sailor Moon. Anyways, thanks for reading. I have a new story that will be coming up soon, so I hope everyone enjoys that too.  
  
-Katrina K. 


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